Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos
by Corvus no Genmu
Summary: All that he wanted was to live a normal life but fate seems to have a whole new plan in mind for him. The future is in peril and the fate of the universe rests in the hands of a boy divided by himself and his unique friends. Start Game! Guardian Force!
1. Open Slot

Me: Like the phoenix, from the ashes of the old do I rise anew! This time, with a tricked-out new laptop! Yays!

Bahamut: Yeah, yeah, just so long as you can stop borrowing mine WITHOUT PERMISSION!

Mewtwo: Bahamut, you are aware of what this story is correct?

Bahamut: Eh? It's the sequel to Kamen Rider Daikiaju, so what?

Poupoko: (Check out the title.)

Bahamut: (Reads it) … I'm going to end up loving you or killing you aren't I?

Me: More than likely.

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**A/N: Just to let everyone know, the basic background, that is the beginning of the beginning, shall be told next chapter, but to stop any confusion, this story takes place in America, where is yet to be fully decided as the town in question is technically in Italy I believe but whatever. Also, like a certain doujinshi favorite of mine, this story shall star many familiar faces though few will have major roles besides "Villain of the Week" as it were. Now, without further ado, let us begin the next saga of the Kamen Riders! Start it up!

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DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
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**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Open Slot_

What is time but a passing or forgotten memory? To explain time is to explain life, something that no being, mortal or otherwise, could begin to explain for the way to explain such things is to be devoid of such things and no being, alive or otherwise, could be devoid of time or life.

Too bad this law was written only in stone for time has a way of eroding such unbreakable things as the hardest rock and the laws they hold.

This place here, a rainbow colored sea of endless sand marked only by towers of stone jutting upwards like daggers seeking to tear deep into the colorless sky. The sky above was not marked in either day or night but a toss-up between the two as elements of both times was evident with moons and sun shining amidst patches of blue and black. There comes a sound like a train's whistle before a sudden burst of fire erupts from the sands and train tracks converge together to form a trail through the sky in which a futuristic train follows close behind.

Colored fine platinum with gems of ruby, sapphire, amethyst, and emerald lined in circle around the primary engine, which has something of a draconic face to it, the train moves fast through the sky, whistle acting rather like a roar as it gives chase to its quarry amongst the desert sands. Orbs of colored light, like an insect swarm, fly through the air ahead of the train, moving almost as one as they steadily move away from the train. A sudden sound of breaking glass was the train's only warning to skid to a halt as the swarm of lights vanished Outside.

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Fifteen year old Hiroyuki Kaneda was not one to disbelief the unbelievable. Having lived in a country where kaijin attacks were frequent, and the current defenders from said monsters were a group of girls dressed in sailor suits and a bunch of guys dressed up like they came from one of those old tokusatsu shows tended to alter one's beliefs by a good margin.

However, even one so used to the abnormal couldn't help but pause in slight confusion from the strange colored lights that decorated the sky before suddenly vanishing. He wondered if this was a common occurrence on this side of the world but as there was no where nearby to ask, the Japanese youth was left to his own contemplations.

Feeling a sudden itch, Hiro rubbed his eyes, wondering just how he'd gotten sand in them before once more resuming his rollerblading towards the institute, fingering the strange rail pass carrier he had, quite literally, stumbled over before the appearance of the colored lights.

He never noticed the faint trail of sand following in his wake.

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"Heya, Hiro, how's life dragging?"

"I think you mean "hanging", Nico." Hiro sighed with a soft smile playing on his face. Nicole Derich was his first true friend in his recent transference to the west and he found it quite amusing that, as Japanese was his primary tongue, he knew better English than she did.

Unlike most girls, she had a healthy tan to her skin, showing off her hobby of swimming in the summer past and her hair, long enough to fall to her waist, was rather spiky and seemed rather unkempt yet it shined with its blue luster. Her eyes were strangely colored, orange pupils and white irises, but she claimed them as contacts so most gave it no second thoughts.

Not that Hiroyuki was any different with his burning hazel eyes and obsidian hair that almost stood to attention like a spiky mane that curved back from his face, failing to fall just past his neck save for his ponytail which hung just below his shoulder blades.

The two had met at the beginning of the school year and had formed a rather strange relationship, if one could even call it that. Hiro would help Nicole with her Japanese and Nicole would train up Hiro's "wimpy-butt" body into something that "a man should have!" as she often proclaimed to him. She seemed quite adamant in the belief that all Asian boys were capable of miraculous feats of martial arts, something that Hiro had very little interest in really.

Nicole laughed and punched him lightly, for her, in the shoulder. "Dragging, hanging, same difference! What's up, Hiro-kun?"

"Nothing much really. Found a rail pass carrier I think someone lost but other than that…" Hiro trailed off, remembering the strange light show in the sky.

"Other than that?"

Hiro spared a glance over his shoulder towards the residential science fiction freak, Martin… something or other. If he wasn't gushing about the newest monster/hero sighting, which he always seemed to know almost before the event itself, then nothing serious had happened right?

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

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The lunch bell was a welcome reprieve to the droning of an average school lesson and those students who hadn't brought lunch with them rushed down to the cafeteria while those who did went to their familiar spots with their friends or by themselves. Having no desire to once again have to fend for himself against one of his more classmates, Hiro made a subtle escape to the stairs and headed for the roof. As he walked, time seemed to slow to almost a crawl as the seconds ticked by until, finally, the clock truck 12:12:12 just as Hiro opened the door to the roof.

Hazel eyes widened in shock at the surrounding landscape of colored sands and patch worked sky before a sudden melody alerted him to the train that pulled in less than two yards ahead of him. He looked it from left to right and, in his shock, vaguely noted the strange symbol that marked its side. A dragon curved into the shape of an hourglass with flames breathing down from its fanged jaws.

The same symbol that adorned the rail pass carrier in his pocket.

"… Now that's something you don't see everyday…" murmured Hiro

A door suddenly opened and a young woman stepped down, a tray ladled with coffee in her hands. She was dressed in a black and white form fitting waitress like uniform with at least a dozen wristwatches covering her forearms. Her hair was a light shade of brown, cut rather boyishly to frame her face better. On her head was a small waitress' cap and her hands were bedecked with a pair of red gloves. Like Hiro, she seemed of Asian descent, possibly a mix between China and Japan.

"Hello!" she chirped. "Welcome to Eido-Liner!"

"Um… greetings and salutations?" Hiro sweatdropped at how strange the situation was. "Pleasant day isn't it?"

"Very!" the woman's smile grew as she leaned down and handed Hiro a small cup of what appeared to be coffee but seeing as coffee didn't have hazel-colored foam it was hard to be sure. "Here you are! Courtesy of Eido-Liner!"

"Thank you…?" Hiro glanced down at the cup in slight distaste. He hated coffee.

"You're quite welcome! Bye-bye!" The young woman waved as Hiro nodded back and slowly walked back through the door and shutting it behind him. He looked down the long staircase to the cup to the door and back to the cup again before turning and opening the door to find a normal rooftop greeting him.

"That… I don't know what that was but I can definitely say it was quite odd…" Hiro looked down at the cup in his hands dubiously, half considering that the drink would turn him into something. Nonetheless, he took a tentative sip and was quite surprised by the taste.

"Wow! No wonder Americans loves to drink this stuff so much!" Hiro stuck a hand into his pocket and felt the rail pass carrier he had found. He flinched guiltily. '_Someone is probably looking for this… I'll go and turn it to the police station after school._'

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The bell rang for the signal to school's end and Hiro wasted no time in donning his roller-skates and taking off before the usual crowd of students could halt his progress. Bidding a quick goodbye to Nicole, Hiro skated off towards the police station. He was about halfway there when a train's whistle brought his attention to the train he had seen earlier now traveling along the street beside him. Hiro nearly fell flat on his face from the sight of the same locomotive but could only blink, and blush, at the sight of the girl standing in the opened doorway.

She looked no older than him and was dressed in a light feathery blue skirt and a blouse of a darker shade. Her hair, colored a light brown, fell past her shoulders and her blue eyes were glaring at him despite the wind blowing past her from leaning out of a moving train.

"Hey you!"

Hiro, dumbfounded as he was, made a show of looking beside him to see if she meant someone else before pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" she yelled. "You're the one who picked up the pass, right?! It's mine! Can you give it back?!"

Hiro looked at her as though she was insane, wondering if it was more his case than hers, and decided that the strangeness of the day had gone on long enough. "If you lost something so important as to ride a train in the middle of the street, go to the police station like everyone else!" He yelled before making a sharp left turn and speeding away from the train.

"Wait!" the girl watched him go, her eyes widening at the sight of sand following in the boy's wake. "It couldn't be… that boy is…?"

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Coop was bored and, being an auto mechanical genius, that was never really a good thing as was evidence by the admittedly unique styles of art that decorated the junkyard in which he lived and worked during his time of parole for the purely accidental damage his last creation had caused.

On that note, several people would never look at toaster ovens the same way again.

Thus, here the portly teenager was spending his days for the remaining three months, randomly building "Machines of Awesomeness" as an honest day's work had lost its appeal in the first hour of his sentence. Finishing the last of the upgrades on his hotrod's dual engines, Coop stood up and cracked his back, hungry for a cheeseburger and maybe one of Kiva's attempts at a home cooked meal. He frowned slightly, bushing at his arms as sand seemed to fall like a river stream and pile up on the ground beside his car.

Coop was so engrossed with getting the last of the sand and car grease off his person, he never saw the sand condense together behind him to form a thick muscular form of a creature neither man nor ape but rather like that of a creature of ancient Canadian myth called a Wendigo. Long hair was tied into dreadlocks which ended in sharp arrow points and above the furry creature hand a pair of ape-ish legs.

"I will grant you any wish," it suddenly spoke in a guttural voice, causing Coop to scream rather girlishly and nearly crash through his car's front window. The creature ignored the sudden bout of fear it generated from its contract holder. "I ask for but one thing in return."

"A-A wish? Any wish I want?" Coop asked, fear and confusion intermingling with a sudden need for excitement.

"Anything your heart desires," the sand creature nodded, crossing its arms over its chest. "It will be yours."

Coop couldn't believe his luck but he wasn't going to waste it being hesitant. "I wish…" He stopped. If he only had one wish he had to make sure to word it carefully. His large stomach rumbled, reminding him of his desire for food but he knew better than to waste a wish on food. His eyes fell to the words on his license plate and Coop was suddenly inspired. "I wish for a hundred, no, a thousand video games!"

Upon hearing the words, the sand creature suddenly began to change. It rose upwards from the ground, the legs above it disappearing and reappearing in their proper place. The change continued until it was standing on two clawed feet before shaking the sand free from its suddenly solid form. The creature's skin was colored a dark blue, as though frost-bitten several times over, while its fur was a shining white. The arrows adorning its dreadlocks turned into something resembling steel and the bands adorning its arms and torso into something made of tough leather. Its sunken eyes gleamed a bloodshot red as it grinned, revealing a mouthful of tusks.

"A thousand video games, eh…?" The Wendigo Imagin repeated, chuckling darkly. "As you wish!"

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Hiro glanced over his shoulder, wondering if the train had followed after him when he suddenly collided into someone. Thanking his lucky stars for the helmet he wore, Hiro pushed himself to his knees, ready to offer an apology to whomever he had run into but the words died on his tongue. He gulped audibly at the group of familiar, angry punks. Where was Nicole when you needed her?

"Well lookie who we got here," the leader of the band, a pimple-covered brat by the name of Uriah, spoke snidely to his underlings. "It's the foreigner, and without his girlfriend here to protect him!"

"Nicole-san is not my girlfriend," denied Hiro, "And I'm sure she's sorry for hurting you like she did…" This was obviously not the right thing to say as the punks drew closer as Hiro slid back on his knees only to discover that the group had him surrounded. Four to one, not really good odds.

_"Ah but I like these kind of odds!"_

"Not as sorry as you're going to be you little shit!" Uriah stepped forward to smash his foot down on Hiro's shoulder when Hiro's hands suddenly moved of their own accord and grabbed the orange-haired punk's foot. A fanged smirk fell upon Hiro's face before he shoved Uriah away with enough force to send him flying several yards and into the branches of a tree.

"Boss!" yelled one of the goons only to grunt from the pain of receiving Hiro's rollerblades in his arms. Hiro tossed his bomber jacket aside with a wave of sand following in its wake and stood confidently before the three remaining punks. Electricity seemed to spark along his head as his hair became wild like a lion's mane and stood more to attention. A streak of red stretch down the length of his ponytail to match the burning red of his eyes. He was no longer plain and ordinary Hiro.

He was now Hiro-Red.

"Ore… sanjou!" He smiled in mock pity. "Sorry, but this wimp's my contract holder. More than that, I can't sit back and miss a chance at some serious ass-kicking!" He raised a cocked fist. "Get ready to meet your maker." The remaining three punks looked to one another before rushing Hiro-Red only to be slammed back via a quick spin kick from the possessed boy. All but one of the three was rendered unconscious, much to Hiro-Red's disappointment.

"Feh. Weaklings the lot of them." He turned and saw the third was making a run for it. He grinned and crouched low, going on all-fours before suddenly leaping high enough to land right in front of the fleeing punk who fell flat on his behind in shock. Hiro-Red had leapt a good twenty feet through the air to reach him and didn't look at all tired from the move.

"Ah, running away? And here I was going to show you my finisher!" A faint red aura could be seen around Hiro-Red's body, smoke seeming to pour from his fanged mouth. Hiro-Red pulled back his fist, tightly coiling the muscles in his arm; before unleashing it in what would have been a powerful haymaker had it not suddenly froze a few inches in front of the punk's face.

_"Hey! What are you doing?!" _Hiro-Red grunted in visible effort before slamming his fist down onto the ground, creating a two foot wide crater that was easily a foot deep with several scorch marks covering its epicenter. _"What am I doing?"_

"Hey, come on!" growled Hiro-Red. "Don't stop me at the best part!"

_"Who are you? Better yet, what are you?!"_

"Why does it matter?!" Hiro-Red pulled back his arm, ready to re-release his finishing move.

_"HEY! STOP!"_ Hiro-Red froze and seemed to suffer some form of seizure before sand exploded off his body once more. Gasping in exhaustion, Hiro opened his hazel eyes and looked around in confused shock before racing over and replacing his skates and jacket and taking off once again, unknowing of the person that followed after him or the strangely colored eyes that had watched the entire event unfold before them.

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Once he had felt that he was far enough from the scene, Hiro skidded to a halt and crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for air.

_"Oy, why'd you have to ruin my fun, brat?"_

Hiro practically jumped out of his skin from the voice in his head and looked around frantically as sand poured out of his arms. The hazel-eyed boy watched with no small portion of trepidation as the sand condensed together to form a shape. The creature was the color of sand, which wasn't surprising as it was made of sand. He, for it was obviously male by the voice and build of its body, was shaped like a muscular demonic dog with a large mane of fur on his head and elbows. His hands were large, larger than his canine head, with claws capable of tearing stone asunder if they weren't currently made of sand. A pair of bony spikes jutted out from the back of the creature's shoulders which paled in comparison to the massive horns that bedecked his head.

In any other situation, Hiro would have run away screaming at the first sight of the thing but now, as exhausted as he was, Hiro had enough courage to stare and see a minute detail. This creature's upper body was 'standing' on the ground while his legs stood above him. Were this not so, the thing would have stood at least seven feet tall. As it was, the sand-being was a mere three feet tall minus the horns.

"Man, what a strange guy…" grumbled the sand-creature, one of his legs scratching at his ears. "Ah whatever, on to the formalities and shit." He coughed, his eyes closing as though bored with the situation. "Tell me your wish and I shall grant it. Just pay me one thing…" The sand-creature opened an eye and saw, much to its anger, Hiro making a cross symbol with his hands.

"Begone, evil spirit-thing!" Putting his fingers together to form a crude cross.

"Who the hell are you calling a thing, you dumbass?!" roared the sand-creature, moving forward to get into Hiro's face.

"That's not what it is, that thing inside of you." Hiro turned and saw someone he instantly recognized despite the stressful situation he was in.

"You're that girl from the train… the loud one…" he mumbled the last part lest she hear him. Fortunately, she didn't as she continued walking up to him in a calm but serious manner as she spoke.

"I sensed it that time; you're special, just like me… You're a Singularity Point."

"A Singularity Point?" asked a confused Hiro.

"A Singularity Point?!" Hiro turned and saw the sand-creature was looking none too pleased with this bit of news. "For real?! Damn it all to Hell!"

"This can't have been coincidence." Hiro nearly jumped out of skin, the girl was now standing beside him, looking at him with something that set a flush on the boy's face. "To have found the pass… for it to have gone missing at all… There's no mistake, someone like you can become Guardian Force."

"Eh?" There was no time for more words as the sound of breaking glass shot through the air like bullets. The humans turned sharply at the sound while the sand-creature's hackles rose, lips pulled back to reveal sharp canines. The cause of the destruction of the nearby game-store's window revealed itself as the Wendigo loaded with a heavy sack.

"An Imagin!" yelled the girl, unfortunately drawing the Wendigo Imagin's attention. His electric blue eyes narrowed before growling a guttural sound at the humans. "I see…" It dropped the sack, holding up its meaty fists "a Singularity Point…" Ice condensed around his hands before a pair of bonelike clubs appeared in them. "You'll just have to die!"

The sand-creature looked up at Hiro to the onrushing Imagin and charged with a howl but was easily plowed through and destroyed from the rushing monster. Self-preservation along with a healthy dose of chivalry guided Hiro's actions as he quickly slid on his rollerblades and taking the girl bridal-style in his arms before taking off as fast as he could go from the Wendigo Imagin who continued his chase after them.

"Wh-Wh-What the hell are you doing?!" yelled the girl, her face flushed as she scowled up at a panting Hiro. She wasn't as light as he assumed, not that he'd dare say such aloud. "You have that pass, right?! Use that and transform!"

"And –pant– why do I –pant– want to do that?!"

"So you can fight!" she screamed at him. Before Hiro had a chance to respond, the Wendigo Imagin threw his club through the air, missing them both easily as was its plan for the instant the weapon hit the ground in front of them, ice covered it. Hiro and the girl yelled as the boy fell flat on his back with the girl still in his arms as the both of them slid into a pile of empty crates. Groaning, the two sat up and saw the Imagin was approaching at a slower pace, relaxed in the knowledge of easy prey.

"Hurry up and fight!" yelled the girl, grabbing a fistful of Hiro's shirt.

"I-I can't fight that thing!" protested Hiro. '_What does she think I am, a superhero or something?!_'

She shook him soundly. "Idiot! Do you want to die!?"

"Hey!" The sand creature or rather, Imagin, from before suddenly appeared on Hiro's other side. "If you die, I die, Baka-teme! Do it! Better yet," he looked over towards the Wendigo Imagin, "allow me!" With a bestial roar, the sand-bodied Imagin charged at the corporeal-formed Wendigo Imagin and was easily vanquished with a powerful two-hit combo from the ape-ish Imagin's bone club.

The girl rose to her feet, pulling Hiro along with her before shoving him in front of her. "Come on!"

Hiro glanced back at her to the Wendigo Imagin to the girl once again, wondering which was the lesser of two evils before looking once more at the Imagin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the train pass-carrier. He turned it around in his hand, looking once more at the draconic hourglass on its backside before looking up, his eyes slightly dazed as the words seemed to come to him almost as though something, or someone, was speaking through him.

"Start it up…" A swirl of light surrounded his waist before a black and silver belt with a buckle marked similarly to the pass in Hiro's hands appeared around his waist. His hand dropped down over the buckle, unconsciously waving the pass over it.

"START GAME!" His belt responded in kind as a cocoon of light surrounded him. Inside the cocoon, a pure black bodysuit stretched itself over Hiro's body before a plain metal helmet shaped like a knight's own adorned his head. Similar pieces of armor attached themselves to his hands, feet, and torso before the cocoon crumbled upon itself to reveal a brand new kind of Kamen Rider.

Guardian Force.

The newly made Kamen Rider looked first at his strange, knight like appearance, before looking once more at the girl behind him. "What now?!"

"Fight it, what else?!" yelled the girl. The Wendigo Imagin merely cocked his head, curious of the change before a memory played itself across his mind. His contract holder had seen what these… knights? No, Kamen Riders were capable of on his online romps. They were powerful, almost as powerful as an Imagin. Its grip on its club tightened, it was no longer time to play.

With a roar, the monster charged forward and slammed into Guardian Force's side with its remaining club, sending the Rider flying and landing painful through the wall of an old warehouse.

"Ow…" G-Force gingerly felt at his side as he pushed himself to his feet. He didn't feel any broken bones but that thing had sent him flying a good several meters and through a steel wall to boot! How in the world was he supposed to fight that monster, let alone destroy it without any weapons?!

_"Switch with me!"_ came the voice of Hiro's Imagin. _"He ain't toyin' with ya now, brat! He knows you're a threat and he'll kick your ass if you don't switch with me!"_

"And how do I do that?" asked G-Force, feeling rather silly talking to empty air.

_"How the hell would I know, idiot?!"_

G-Force hadn't time to respond as he dodge-rolled a strike to his head from the Wendigo Imagin's club. Though his movements were clumsy with both the added weight of the armor and his own lack of martial grace, Guardian Force managed to dodged most of the blows from the Imagin though not all as his last dodge was met with a harsh kick from the monster that sent him flying and landing painfully outside the warehouse.

_"Dumbass! Switch with me!"_

"How?!" grunted Guardian Force as he shakily stood to his feet as the Imagin stomped up to him from behind

_"Try the red button, Baka-teme!"_

"Button?" muttered Guardian Force as he looked down and took notice of the four buttons on the side of the buckle. He pushed the red button, taking notice of how the background of the symbol changed to a matching red hue as a strange tune began to play. It was the kind of music one could fight to really. Taking pass in hand, Guardian Force swiped it over his buckle.

"FIST FORM_._"

The armor covering Guardian Force broke off and began spinning in place before latching back on and looking quite different than before. Instead of plain silver, the armor was colored a flaming crimson with the bodysuit a dark tan color. Blazing red fur grew from the elbows while a large mane of it grew from the back of Guardian Force's head. Around his neck hung the same beaded necklace that his Imagin wore. Flames surrounded his forearms before suddenly whooshing out to reveal a pair of gauntlets that made his hands and forearms look to be three times their normal size. The helmet, which was the last thing to change, slid down his face to shape the face of a canine before it split in two with the jaws making the 'eyes' of the helmet. Finally, a pair of curved obsidian horns grew out about a foot above the newly transformed Guardian Force's eyes, finishing the transformation.

Cracking his knuckles loudly, G-Force FF (Fist Form) took a battle-ready stance, gauntlet-covered hands held up liked curled claws. "Ore futabi sanjou!"

The Wendigo Imagin paused; shocked that one of its own kind would work against it on their mutual mission. True, it had been trying to destroy the other's contract holder but the point remained the same nonetheless. "You fool, what are you thinking?! Don't you remember our mission?!"

"Didn't bother to really," G-Force FF honestly answered. "And I gotta say, I was disappointed in my choice of a contract holder but now I'm beginning to see the perks. Being this Guardian Force gives me the opportunity to kick some ass! Imagin or human… I don't care who my opponent is!" G-Force FF pointed at the Wendigo Imagin with his clawed gauntlets, the Ali Shar, which gained a reddish glow before slowly being consumed in flames. "I'll only warn ya once. From beginning to end I'm at a CLIMAX!" The flames ignited brilliantly, brightening to a blazing blue as Guardian Force FF charged forward, roaring, "_Fire Wolf Spike!_"

Though the Wendigo Imagin managed to jump back from the haymaker, he did not dodge the attack in full as flaming orbs followed after it, exploding against its torso and sending the monster flying. The Imagin roared in pain as it fell hard upon its back, nearly breaking it to pieces.

Guardian Force FF stood in the gaping hole, laughing wolfishly. "Now, for my finisher!" The armored hero crouched low to the ground, pulling out the GF-Pass out in hand and waving it once more over the buckle.

"FULL CHARGE." Crimson light zigzagged out from the glowing buckle, striking the palms of the Ali Shar and causing brilliantly bright flames to ignite along them before they condensed together to form a ball of molten fire roughly the size of a large beach ball. "_Hell Fire!_" Before the Wendigo Imagin had a chance to dodge, the flaming orb was hurled upon it, consuming it in an unforgiving inferno of white-hot fire. The monster screamed in agony before its demise added to the flame's intensity as it exploded in a small blast of smoke and sand.

Guardian Force FF smirked, cracking his smoking knuckles and blowing away the smoke with a huff of air before reverting to plain and ordinary Hiro, who collapsed to his knees from exhaustion. The girl was almost instantly there, kneeling beside him with a hand on his shoulder. Too tired and stressed out from the day's events, Hiro couldn't find the strength to be embarrassed by her close proximity. He glanced at her through his sweaty bangs, panting for air.

"So… can I have an explanation now… onegai?"

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_To Be Continued..._

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Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Hiro:_ I've always admired the Kamen Riders but never did I expect to become one of them! And just what are these things, Imagins, anyway? Nani?! Doggy-san, how are you solid here? Eh, cause it's the time-traveling train: Eido-Liner? Well, at least I don't have to worry about that monkey-monster anymore right? Right…?

_Now Loading… Guardian Force!_

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	2. Now Loading… Guardian Force!

Me: I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date, no time to say hello or goodbye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Bahamut: ... What's with him?

Mewtwo: Camille is due to give birth to their second child any day now. I'm surprised Corvus found the time to even write this chapter let alone upload it.

Poupoko: (He surprises you at times.)

Bahamut: Hrmm, speaking of rugrats, if Corvus is watching Camille, who's watching Adrian and his muse?

My Muses: ... Oh crap!

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**REVIEW RESPONSES: **Primarily, this saga shall be based more towards the Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts series than of the daikaiju but that does not mean that they, the Kamen Riders Daikaiju and the Sailor Scouts, shan't be making an appearance. It's all a matter of time.

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DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
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**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Now Loading… Guardian Force!_

To begin the tale truly and completely, one must be made aware of the type of character one Hiroyuki Kaneda truly is and to know this, one must first discover the circumstances behind his being in America in the first place. With an excellent level of English that bordered on it being his primary tongue, Hiro was an obvious choice to become an exchange student with the famously acclaimed Heatherfield Institute located, of course, in the suburban-city that was Heatherfield, located on the eastern coast of America. The institute itself was prestigious in that it was not limited between grade levels save for preschool systems such as kindergarten. In fact, the Institute ranged between the first and twelfth grade curriculums, even going so far as to offer a few college level classes for the beneficial students of the higher grades.

Being fifteen, Hiro still had the time of youth to not truly feel concerned over his future schooling, especially in America of all places. It wasn't that he disliked the country any but if he had to suffer through more than a year's worth of badly dubbed anime, Hiro would likely scream himself mad. Fortunately, being legal age in his home country allowed him a few loopholes, such as an apartment of his own, paid for the year, and being allowed to have a job during his schooling despite his young age.

He was still working on that by the way, but we digress…

During his first month at the Institute, Hiro had been abruptly been given a rough tour of the "clicks" of American school life. Well, not necessarily clicks separated by the stereotypical group types, such as "geeks" or "goths", but rather groups of kids familiar with each other from long friendships to similar circumstances to even random encounters such as how Hiro's had been when he first met with Nicole, an embarrassing event best left unremembered to the boy in question.

Still, despite being there for roughly a month now, Hiro had not truly made any friends outside of Nicole nor did he spend time in communiqué with those left in Japan simply because he had none back there as well. Oh sure, there were kids he knew there, that he talked to quite often, but were any of them friends? Hiro truly doubted it…

Still, it was nice having the one friend Hiro did have but it would have been nice to have more… perhaps even a girlfriend to boot…

As time would inevitably go on, Hiro would soon come to realize that not only was his unspoken wish heard, but was being granted with a gusto after the first event; his becoming a Kamen Rider.

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"I truly thank you for riding Eido-Liner today. I'm the spunky crew member, Yuffie! If you need anything just call for Yuffie-chan! I know you'll want my help cause I'm so good!" Hiro blinked owlishly at the young woman, apparently only five years his senior, who was the caretaker/maid of the train he was currently riding upon. She smiled brightly, handing him a menu, eyes twinkling. "Your order?'

"Ah…" Hiro wasn't exactly hungry but he didn't want to disappoint Yuffie-chan either…

"It'll calm your nerves," suggested the (crazy) girl that had, in Hiro's mind, been the cause of all this.

Hiro sighed but agreed with her, and he was still rather tired from that battle. "Um… can I have a cup of coffee, please?"

"Make that two," smiled the girl.

Yuffie all but grinned in delight, nodding happily as she skipped over to her counter. "Right away!"

Sand suddenly began to fall from Hiro, who looked upon himself in confusion before the sand moved to pile up beside him alongside the wall before it condensed together to form a familiarly complete Imagin. It was Hiro's Imagin, now donned in dark tanned flesh and crimson fur. His horns were made of dark obsidian and the beads of his necklace seemed to have been made from amethyst while his wrist guards looked to be made of gold. The Hellhound Imagin grinned as Hiro squeaked in surprise and fell onto the floor of the café car.

"Make that three, woman," grunted the Imagin.

Yuffie glanced up from her counter and her smile grew. "Ah, one each, alright then!"

Hiro looked towards the waitress as though she were mad before turning fearful eyes to the Imagin. The girl had explained to him how an Imagin could only assume their full form when their contract holder had made a wish and he certainly hadn't done such a thing! Then again, if neither the girl nor Yuffie-chan were making a scene over this dilemma, then it wasn't too unexpected. This was, according to the two girls, a time-traveling train.

Oh, Kami-sama this dream was truly the oddest he's ever had.

The girl gave the Imagin such a dark look that Hiro was almost more scared of her than the monster before moving to sit on the opposite end of the car, dragging him along with her to sit across from her. "So… what's your name anyway?"

"Ah, Kane—"" He shook his head; he'd forgotten that both girls, despite their appearance, were speaking English, not Japanese. "Hiroyuki Kaneda, but please, call me Hiro."

"Hiro, huh…?" whispered the girl to herself, her eyes showing her skepticism. "I'm Tifa."

The hazel-eyed Hiro blinked in confusion. No last name? He wouldn't pry but he was still confused. "Ano… could you finish telling me more about these… Imagin?"

Tifa's eyes darkened slightly and she glared over at the Imagin currently scratching the back of his right ear with a monstrously large hand. "Simply put, they're beings from the future that have crossed time to 2008."

"Future beings…? So, in the future… people look like… that…?" Hiro weakly pointed at the Hellhound Imagin who did not like the tone the boy was using.

"Hey, Baka-teme, this form is all your fault!" The Imagin stood to his feet, towering at seven feet tall, and made to move closer to Hiro when Tifa stood to her feet and punched him hard in the snout, sending him toppling back to his seat.

"Don't interrupt me, Imagin. I'm talking here." She turned back to Hiro, smiling that empty smile of hers once more. "Imagin don't have bodies until they gain a contract holder and use an image from their mind to form their body."

"In other words, it's your fault I look like a werewolf-reject from Hell," grunted the Imagin, leaning against the wall, glancing down at himself. "I mean, what the hell is this? It's cool I admit but damn it, if I get fleas, there's going to be hell to pay!"

"I… well, I was reading up on old myths… and well, maybe you're Efreet. A fire spirit."

"Efreet?!" howled the Imagin and glared at Tifa who giggled. "Oy, don't laugh at me! I refuse to be called such a stupid name!"

"It does sound kind of old-century doesn't it?" Yuffie-chan chirped from where she worked on their coffees. Both Hiro and Tifa spared the older girl a long stare at the irony of saying such a thing on a time-traveling train.

"How about… Ifrit then?" said Hiro.

"Ifrit?" said the Imagin, testing the name on his tongue before grinning wolfishly. "I like it… I like it! My name is Ifrit!"

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The Heatherfield mall was peaceful though by no means quiet as shoppers continued to seek and buy their purchases. The sound of breaking glass accompanied by the roar of the newly resurrected Wendigo Imagin destroyed that peace in an instant. An empty shelf flew through the air, slamming into a small kiosk as the ice monster stepped out of the decimated game store, the sack on its back loaded with the entire stock of video games the store possessed, but it wasn't enough. The Wendigo Imagin scowled, shuffling the sack before making way to another store.

Three hundred games to go.

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"An Imagin must grant one wish from the person they possess. It can be anything, but in exchange for granting the wish, the Imagin takes that person's past time. That is the contract that is between an Imagin and the person they possess," explained Tifa.

"Ah, shit! That's right, the contract!" The newly named Ifrit stood up from his seat, turning and pointing a clawed finger at Hiro. "Tell me your wish!"

"Don't do it!" exclaimed Tifa, "If you do, you form a contract with him, but if you don't, he can't do anything."

"Oy, shut the hell up, you gaudy woman!" yelled Ifrit, moving to meet her face-to-face only to get punched right in the snout again. The red Imagin blinked in pained shock, holding a large hand to his nose. "What the hell, you bitch!?"

"Lowly Imagin." Tifa scoffed.

"SAY WHAT?!" roared Ifrit, grabbing her shoulders when she flicked at his pained noise. The Imagin flinched back, touching his sore nose before grabbing the edge of her mouth and pulling it wide as she was quick to do the same to him.

"Hey… Hey! No fighting!" Hiro pushed the two apart, glaring at the both of them with unusual heat in his eyes. He looked at Ifrit. "You're under contract with me right? Well if you want me to wish for anything, then watch how you treat my friends!" He then focused on Tifa. "Tifa-san, I can understand your caution, really I can, but Ifrit hasn't done any kind of harm. In fact, it was because of him that other Imagin was destroyed!"

Tifa looked rather like she had swallowed a lemon, a marvelous feat with Ifrit still holding onto her mouth, but she released the Imagin with him doing the same with a sheepish air. "Actually, that ain't quite the whole truth of it." Ifrit said.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiro.

"I ain't sayin' all of us do it, but some Imagin leave a piece of themselves with their contract holder, in case they actually got destroyed." Ifrit chuckled, grinning nastily. "If he's alive, I'm sure the bastard will put up one hell of a fight."

"You idiot!" screamed Tifa. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?!" She turned and grabbed Hiro's arm, dragging him nearly off his feet towards the door. "Come on, we've got an Imagin to catch!"

Ifrit watched them go through the door, disappearing in a flash of light. He crossed his large arms over his furless chest, a clawed finger playing with the beads of his necklace. He contemplated staying behind for but a moment before he disappeared in a flash of crimson sand.

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Coop had been having a good day so far and was acting like a child on Christmas Eve, waiting for the moment they'd be let free to tear apart their gifts and receive the presents therein. So wrapped up in his contemplation of his upcoming arcade library, the portly youth almost ran over one of the few friends he had. "Kiva!" he grinned, clearly excited, "You won't believe what happened at the junkyard earlier!"

"Oh god…" muttered the red-haired girl. She loved Coop, really she did, and despite his appearance and lack of common sense, he had a way with machines that made the auto mechanic in her almost green with envy. However, that did not mean she did not get her fair share of headaches from the machine junkie. "Don't tell me you've added more time to your sentence."

"Hey!" exclaimed Coop, hurt by her lack of faith in him. "Last time was an accident, Kiva! Besides, it wasn't something I made anyway."

"Coop, that's not important right now!" interrupted Kiva, knowing that if she let him talk, he'd not stop until the last detail was spoken and she had a full understanding as to why he was in such a happy mood. "Haven't you been paying any attention to the news at all?" He stared at her blankly and she sighed in irritation. "I mean, lately." Still blank. "Today, god damn it, today!"

"Whoa there, no I haven't. Why?" Coop was only marginally concerned. It wasn't like anything cool happened in this part of the world.

"There are reports of one of those monsters from Japan appearing in Heatherfield!" Apparently, that was quite false.

"WHOA! Really?!" Coop was practically grinning, ideas of grabbing his camera and spamming in his mind. "That's so totally awesome!"

Kiva scoffed, crossing her arms and glaring up at Coop. "So it's a good thing it's tearing apart every video game store in the city?"

Coop stopped, frozen, his mouth set in a grin devoid of its usual luster. "What?"

Kiva nodded, looking none too happy herself. She was nothing of a gamer, the most that she played were games that Coop insisted she knew how to play and, though she'd never admit it, she did have a liking to Halo, but that wasn't the point! "Come on, we better go hide your stash before it decides to ransack your apartment too."

"I…" Coop swallowed; strangely pale as he looked around warily, as though expecting someone, or something, to leap out of the shadows. He eyed the nearby playground filled with sand with heavy distrust. "Yeah, let's go do that…"

Kiva didn't miss the sudden change in her boyfriend. "Coop? Are you okay?"

"I'm cool… yeah, everything's cool."

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"This… is truly the strangest day I'm likely to ever have." Hiro muttered to himself as he stepped out of the door that once led to the inside of the local YMCA with Tifa leading the way.

"Okay, let's review the facts here shall we?" said the long-haired brunette. "This thing was stealing stuff wasn't it? I remember it having a sack…"

"Hai, it did." Hiro nodded in agreement. "But it was coming out of a video game store, so it couldn't really have been money…"

"So we're looking for someone who's into video games?" questioned Tifa, slightly disbelieving. "Would someone really waste a wish like that?"

Hiro chuckled, thinking of some of his own favored games but suddenly frowned. He knew of a few people but really, this was a country that was filled with nearly as many game enthusiasts as his own, and while Heatherfield was no Tokyo, it was a fairly large city.

_"I can help ya out. That is, if you and me break a deal here, Baka-teme."_ Came the voice of Ifrit in Hiro's mind.

_"A… deal? What kind of deal?"_

_"Look, the way I understand it, you don't want to make a wish and, for whatever reason, you're following this flat-chested woman to do some of that goody-goody stuff. Like I said before, I don't care who my opponent is so long as I get to kick some ass!"_ Hiro was still hesitant and Ifrit could sense this. _"Look, if we don't hurry up and find that hairy snowman-reject, he's gonna go ape-shit on the past and trust me, you don't want that to happen."_

"… Tifa. I'm going to switch with Ifrit."

"What? Why?!" exclaimed Tifa, shocked that Hiro would willingly do such a thing after hearing about what Ifrit was and what he was meant to do.

He looked at her and smiled. "Because I trust him to do the right thing." Tifa stared at him in surprise as a faint reddish light surrounded Hiro for but a moment before a streak of red appearing along his ponytail, his hair becoming wild and untamed, and his eyes gaining a shining crimson glow.

"… Harumph, trust me huh?" Hiro-Red scoffed, "you really are a stupid little bastard aren't you, Hiro?" He cocked his head, nostrils flaring before he grinned savagely. "Got ya, Wendigo-bastard… Come on, Flatchest, we got an Imagin to kill!"

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The Wendigo Imagin carefully counted over its stash once again; to be sure it truly held a thousand video games. Pleased that its task was done, it moved quickly through the city, and easily reached its contract holder in a matter of minutes. The large bodied boy fell flat on his large behind in shock, dragging the girl beside him down with him. The ice monster grinned evilly, dropping the sack before Coop. "As you've wished a thousand video games."

Kiva stared open-mouth at the Imagin before turning wet glaring eyes at Coop. "You… Coop, you're responsible for this, this thing?! I can't believe you!"

"I didn't, I hadn't—Hey! Most of these are the same game!" complained the large boy in protest. The creature shrugged, uncaring.

"You asked and I delivered, as I see it, the contract is complete!"

"Stop right there, bastard!" roared a familiar voice. Hiro-Red came running onto the scene with Tifa close behind but already he was too late as the Wendigo Imagin seemed to pull Coop apart like a sliding door, revealing a swirling portal of sickly green light that it disappeared into. The two halves of Coop seamlessly connected back together and the boy looked rather disoriented as he held a hand to his forehead.

"GOD DAMN IT!" roared Hiro-Red, punching a lamppost, denting it. "The bastard's gone to the past!" A subtle shift and Ifrit was gone, leaving Hiro in control of his body once more. He stumbled for a moment, unused to the sudden switch but remained on his feet.

"Coop! Coop, are you alright?!" Kiva, held his shoulder, steadying him.

"Move, please." Tifa kneeled down on Coop's other side, placing a blank card atop his forehead and watched as an image of the Wendigo Imagin appeared on it along with a date; May 1, 2004. She glanced at the card before holding it up to Coop. "I need to know what happened on this date.

Coop's eyes were slightly glazed but he focused on the card as best he could. "That's… the day I met Kiva…"

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_MAY 1, 2004_

_Coop was staring in wide-eyed awe at the marvelous sight of the recently released video game of the year, Megas XLR, supposedly one of the best large robot themed video game to hit this side of the world since, since, Gundam!_

_"Oh man… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really wish I had a job…"_

_"Tell me about it…" whispered someone standing beside him. Though unwilling to take his eyes away from the shining game displayed before him behind the smudgy glass, Coop was curious as to who was sharing in his regrets and turned his head slightly to look and blinked in surprise._

_It was a girl. No, wait, scratch that._

_It was an incredibly hot girl._

_And she was smiling. At him. He blinked in surprise, wondering if he had perhaps entered the Twilight Zone when the girl brought his wondering mind back to the present._

_"I take it you like robots then…"_

_"Coop, and yeah, I do. Heck, I've built a few myself…" Now would come the part where she'd immediately lose interest, if his physique hadn't already done the job for him._

_"Really?! Can you show me?!"_

_"Huh, I… sure, yeah I can."_

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"Have you met her? She's really hot. A bit tough around the edges but really, really, hot." Coop spoke in a slurred voice, as though he were slightly drunk.

"Oh, you stupid…" Kiva pressed her face onto his shoulder.

Tifa nodded and quickly ran up to Hiro-Red and handed him the card. "Quickly! Put that into the GF-Pass and get going!"

"R-Right!" Hiro took the card and placed it in the black train pass carrier but suddenly paused. "Um… this time-travel thing… are there any rules that I should follow?"

"Now's not the time to ask that!" screamed Tifa when a building behind the pair suddenly dissolved into dust, the people inside it dropping like stones through the air. Hiro turned as white as a ghost, but his grip on the GF-Pass only tightened.

"Start it up…" With a small burst of light, the GF Belt appeared over Hiro's waist and he waved the GF-Pass over the DiscLoader Buckle.

"START GAME!" The belt called out as Hiro was enveloped in a cocoon of light that crumbled upon itself to reveal Guardian Force Knight Form. The Kamen Rider pressed the red button and waved the GF-Pass over the DiscLoader Buckle once again as the belt cried forth. "FIST FORM!" and Guardian Force's armor broke off before applying themselves anew on the transformed Rider in the familiar shade of red found in Fist Form.

G-Force FF cracked his armored knuckles loudly, as Ifrit took control. "I live for this shit!"

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_MAY 1, 2004_

Kiva blinked in surprise. "Hey, Coop, did you have an accident at the playground or something? You're absolutely covered in sand."

"Huh? No, I haven't been near a playground in years…" muttered Coop, brushing at his arms before he and Kiva both shrieked in horror before running like bats out of hell as the Wendigo Imagin materialized in the past. Chuckling darkly, it brandished its clubs and started racing forward when a familiar sound whistled in the air as a gruff voice roared, "_Fire Wolf Spike!_"

The monster cursed and dodged the storm of fireballs and looked to see G-Force FF jumping down from the Eido-Liner as it soared through the sky. The crimson Rider landed on all fours and breathed out a thick cloud of smoke through his mouth guard.

"You again…" growled the Imagin. "You're nothing more than a lapdog!"

"Is that the best insult ya can come up with, ya furry bastard?" huffed G-Force FF, rising to his feet, fire burning along his gauntlets. The armored warrior charged forward as the Imagin did the same, clawed gauntlets meeting bonelike clubs in a burst of sparks. For a moment, it looked as though the Wendigo monster had greater strength but this was proven the exact opposite as G-Force FF broke the clubs and proceeded to toss the Imagin high into the air.

Grinning beneath his helmet, the Red Rider pulled forth the GF-Pass and waved it over the DiscLoader Buckle. "FULL CHARGE." Crimson lightning arced out from the buckle, striking the palms of the Ali Shar, causing brilliant blue fire to ignite along their length.

"Since you're so damn tough, how's about a second serving of my finisher?!" The flames condensed into a tightly condensed orb the size of a baseball in G-Force FF's clawed hands. "_Hell Fire!_" The burning orb was thrown with great strength outmatched only by the brilliant explosion it caused from the impact against the Wendigo Imagin.

"This time, stay dead. Ya bastard." G-Force FF huffed, turning away from the wreckage caused by the Imagin's death.

_"At least we know nothing else can go wrong now, correct?"_ G-Force FF paused, a strange feeling causing the fur of his armor to stand on end.

"See… it's shit reasons like that, that make me not like ya, Baka-teme…" The Red Rider turned just in time to see the sands of the formerly dead Imagin flow through the air, amassing together as the Wendigo Imagin's image flashed before the sands before forming a shape more akin to a cybertronic version of its former self, this time equipped with a large pair of horns like that of a ram adorning its head. Its crimson eyes flashed brightly as it beat at its chest in primal fury.

It was no longer an Imagin.

Now, it was a DeathGigas.

_"Oh…"_

"SHIT!" G-Force FF rolled out of the way as the DeathGigas' dreadlocks lashed the ground where he had stood, the metallic arrows covering the torn ground in ice. The berserker grunted in disappointment but paused suddenly, sniffing the air and turning shining red eyes towards the rest of the shopping district. It roared and charged forward, completely ignoring its former quarry as new prey made itself know to the DeathGigas.

_"We've got to stop that thing!"_

"No shit!" Before anything more could be spoken between the two, the familiar tune of the Eido-Liner began to play and the Red Rider looked to the sky, expecting to see the Eido-Liner pulling in but was surprised to see the train in question being pulled behind another in the shape of Ifrit's head, with a smaller pair of horns of course. The Red Rider cracked his knuckles in eager anticipation before he leapt aboard.

Once inside the leading car, the Leonhart, G-Force FF made his way into the engine room and spied a golden yellow motorcycle with the headlight compartment shaped like the head of a bird. He quickly took a seat atop the bike and slipped the pass inside a compartment between the handlebars and revved the engine to life.

_"What are you doing?"_ asked Hiro. _"I don't know how to drive let alone ride a motorcycle!"_

"Oh relax already, Baka-teme." G-Force FF replied. "We're guys; it's what we do best!" He flipped open a small flap and pressed the green button beneath it. Outside, the twelve windows of the Leonhart, six on each side, slid open as large gray cannons moved forward and turned to aim at the DeathGigas as the horns at the fore of the train began to glow with heat. The DeathGigas turned, one its hands outstretched towards something unseen in the shadows as the Leonhart charged towards the berserker.

"Here's the true climax!" cackled G-Force FF as he pushed the button once again, causing the cannons to fire upon the monster bellow. Burning balls of fire launched from the cannons and impacted the ground in front of the DeathGigas before striking the monster head on. The Leonhart curved, soaring into the air and circled tightly around the DeathGigas, still firing its cannons. The wendigo screamed as it continued to try and bring the train down but it was overrun by pain and its body was beginning to deteriorate until it exploded in a haze of fire and smoke.

_"Is it dead now?"_ asked Hiro.

"Dead as a cat with no lives." G-Force FF stepped out of the train and watched the flames die down, unaware of the near silent ticking of a pocket watch from the shadows that the DeathGigas had been trying to penetrate.

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Later, on board the Eido-Liner proper, Hiro had come to a decision that had been plaguing him since the beginning of his discovering the GF-Pass' true purpose and what responsibilities were now forced upon him. "I still don't completely understand…" he whispered, looking into the reflection of his face in the warm liquid of his coffee, "but I'll try to do my best."

Tifa smiled, pleased with his answer but frowned darkly when Ifrit suddenly asked if the boy had decided on a wish yet or not but laughed at Hiro's response.

"I wish… to think about it a little bit more."

"A wish is a wish, right?" laughed Tifa.

"Don't joke about this!" roared Ifrit, ready to get in her face when Yuffie-chan suddenly called that his coffee was done. "It is?" He scuttled over towards the counter, shooting glares at Hiro. "I don't acknowledge that wish! You hear me, Baka-teme?! I don't acknowledge it!"

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A youth of eighteen years looked down at the copy of the newspaper he had been reading for some time now. He had not seemed too interested in what he had read, going so far as toss the sections dealing with outside the country away upon seeing the all-too-familiar names and faces of people he'd sooner forget than bother to remember. He took a sip from his glass and nearly choked at the headline. Coughing, he set down the glass and stared at the image of a man dressed in armor designed like the form of some hellish beast, doing battle with another more obvious monster.

Dark blue eyes narrowed in a rage, scarred hands clutching the paper tightly. He stood up and exited the house, ignoring the questions from his housemates and headed straight towards the library. The article had mentioned a report of the hero appearing once before, roughly four years ago, and he wanted to see if this was true for, if it was, it meant something big was going on for, unlike the other citizens of Heatherfield, Jason recognized instantly what this Guardian Force was.

A pretender.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

**

* * *

Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Nicole:_ Man, what is up with Hiro lately? I mean, sure, I've wanted him to toughen up some but he's been acting like a total punk at such random times, especially around the bullies at school. Worse than that, now he's acting like some kind of… Casanova! What's going on with you, Hiro?

_The Second Stage; Seaing Serpents_


	3. The Second Stage

Me: Heya, little one. Can you say Papa?

Lune: (Stares)

Bahamut: Uh... you are aware your daughter is only a week old right now right?

Mewtwo: How's Adrian handling the new sibling by the way?

Me: (Sniff) Little guy's already got Kirby practicing how to deal with anyone who makes her cry.

Poupoko: (Oh, boy.)

Me: Boys... Oh my god! I have a girl!

Bahamut: Yeah, we noticed.

Me: No, I mean-I have a daughter! Which means she's going to go out on dates with boys!

Mewtwo: Oh, Arseus... Corvus, your daughter is only just born. I don't think you have to worry about potential son-in-laws quite yet.

Me: Son... in... law...? BAHAMUT! Fetch me my keyblade! No wait, my scythe! It's more scary looking!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Second Stage; Seaing Serpents_

It had been a long and strange week for Hiroyuki. Bad enough that he was now deemed the one responsible for saving the world from wish-granting monsters from the future but to have one connected to him was annoying at best and downright terrible at worst. While he had his full form on the Eido-Liner, Ifrit had nothing but sand and mismatched limbs for a body in the Present. This wouldn't ordinarily be so bad if the Imagin hadn't grown tired or annoyed with the two females on the time-traveling train to abruptly take over Hiro's body at what was, at first, random times.

Needless to say, everyone at school was now quite aware of "Hiro's" sudden liking to all things related to hotdogs.

Since that embarrassing incident, which for the good of Hiro's sanity shall never be fully recalled, the Japanese boy had managed to talk the Imagin into at least asking for permission first. He couldn't outright tell the Imagin to not possess him for two reasons. First, to Hiro, it seemed rather cruel to simply treat Ifrit like he was a weapon to be used whenever he fancied and two…

Well, let's just say that Ifrit has spent more time in Hiro than on the Eido-Liner and for a very good reason.

_"One of these days, I'm going to ask Tifa-san why she hates Imagin so much…"_

"Oy, Baka-teme, shut up! I'm trying to kick some four-armed ass here!" Hiro-Red grinned, revealing several sharp teeth as he played as the infamous ninja Scorpion at the local arcade/restaurant Pizza Planet. He spoke in sync with the game as his shadow warrior dealt out his signature move. "Get over here!"

Hiro sighed and shook his head, wondering not for the first time if letting Ifrit out near an arcade was a good idea. Ah well, it wasn't like he was being watched by anyone that knew him, right?

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Nicole's eyes narrowed as she watched Hiro kick some serious butt at Mortal Kombat, her concern growing with Hiro's excitement. She brushed back a lock of blue-tinted hair and pulled the baseball cap down lower over her eyes as she watched her friend play. With reports of a monster attack earlier that week along with… that… Nicole had become concerned that whatever was going on in Heatherfield was now affecting her friend, or maybe even herself for that matter.

During the times when Hiro was acting, well… like a hothead, she took notice of the strange discoloration in his eyes and the streak in his hair but the change would be gone as quickly as it appeared whenever Hiro took notice of her presence. She hadn't outright asked him about it, but had hinted to him of changing his hair color to balance her own. Hiro had the strangest expression on his face before he laughed quite forcefully and brushed the idea off as another one of her crazy ideas.

'_Crazy or not, something is up with you Hiro-kun, and I'm going to find out._'

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_"Hey, Baka-teme."_

Hiro repressed the urge to sigh. Whatever his reasons were, Ifrit refused to call anyone by name save for Yuffie-chan as her coffee was "the ambrosia of the gods" according to the Helldog Imagin. _"Yes, Ifrit?"_

_"Why can't I take over and kick some ass?"_ Hiro felt his eye twitching and he sighed once again.

_"For three reasons. First, this is a game, not a fight. Second, Nico is playing on the other team and I'm worried enough about her suspicions as it is. Third… you'd likely set the ball on fire again, Ifrit."_

_"Damn it, that was one god-damned time!"_ roared the Imagin.

"Heads up, Hiro!" The Japanese boy blinked and looked up just in time for his world to turn into a worn shade of orange before the world fell into a numb darkness.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit winced, chuckling darkly as he blew a hot breath over the red foam of his coffee, needlessly keeping it warm. "Oh, that had to hurt." He chuckled once again. "Maybe if he asks, no begs me to, I might just speed up the bruise I'm sure he's got from that blow."

Tifa glanced up from the newspaper she had been reading, dated the present date of course, and glared suspiciously at the Hellhound Imagin. "What did you do?"

"Oy, how the hell could I have done anything?!" growled Ifrit, not liking her tone. "I was just sitting here!"

"And distracting Hiro at the same time I'm sure," muttered Tifa. "I won't ask again, what did you do, Imagin?"

"Nothing you flatchested brat!"

"Flea-covered mongrel!"

"Wire-haired wench!"

"Rabid mutt!"

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As Hiro lay blissfully unconscious and unaware of the current argument between Imagin and girl, a faint bluish light slithered past the doorway of the nurse's office before stopping and hovering indecisively near the ceiling, unseen in the empty hallways. There were several possible candidates here to grant any kind of wish wanted from it but though it was not the first of its kind to appear, it was by no means a fool. It floated back down and hovered over the sleeping Hiro before bobbing in sudden agreement before shooting down and sinking into his chest.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit's eyes widened, glowing brightly as flames exploded along his mane. "WHAT THE HELL?! Oh, no it did not! That is MY contract holder!"

"What's wrong, Ifrit?" asked Yuffie-chan, smiling secretly at Ifrit's possessive tone.

"It's Hiro!" growled Ifrit, the flames now having died into glowing embers in his vibrant mane. "I've lost contact with him!"

"What?!" cried Tifa. "You, you, you stupid mutt! What did you DO?!"

"It wasn't me, god damn it!" roared Ifrit. "Another Imagin just took control of Hiro!"

"Oh god," whispered Tifa. "Is he still at school?"

"Hell if I know! Thanks to that stupid tomboy of his, he's as unconscious as a rock!" Ifrit pressed his clawed hands against his eyes, frowning in concentration. "Shut up for a while and maybe I can find him."

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Doug grumbled to himself in frustration as he tried once again to fix the mess that was once his hair before he had been forced to endure the horrors of physical education under Coach Halder, the Gym Teacher from Heck as he privately called him in his journal. Though he supposed that the workout from the sadistic teacher was good for him, Doug honestly didn't see how as his long-time crush still hadn't noticed him beyond the "just friends" outlook.

Dough sighed and finished redressing into his normal clothes, all alone inside the locker room. "I wish Patti Mayonnaise was mine…"

The boy shouted in sudden surprise as sand exploded off his body and condensed together behind him, growing larger and larger until it was as tall as the ceiling. The sand became more defined and solid until it was more like scales and skin than sand and grit. The Imagin looked like a sea turtle armed to the teeth, quite literally, what with its spikes adorning its shell and tail alongside the claws on its flippers that stretched out longer than Doug's entire arm. The Adamantoise Imagin lifted its bull horned head, its beak opening in a grin as it spoke in a rumbling voice, "You want mayonnaise? I'll get you mayonnaise!"

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Nicole was not one to feel guilt that easily but once she did, it was hard for her to forgive herself for the actions that caused the guilt in the first place. Of course she'd feel guilty over hurting someone, especially during a game, but she reassured herself that, no matter how much she held back, the kind of sports she played allowed for injury though not blatantly. Unfortunately, this recently dealt-out injury was not only bad enough to knock the person out completely to be sent off to the nurse's office, but it was her best friend to boot.

Guilt, thy name was Nicole.

So she waited in great anxiety for the class hour to be over and once the bell rang, she was gone in a flash and seemed to appear instantly at the nurse's office, changed and dressed in her usual clothes with only the sweat of anxiety-driven guilt marking her tanned skin. She appeared hesitant in stepping the room but firmed her resolve with a straightened back and entered only to be shocked out of her mind.

Hiro was gone.

She stared at the empty cot and looked around, hoping to see him conscious and being looked over by Nurse Jenny but only found the nurse alone and looking strangely flushed, a girlish smile on her lips. Feeling rather unnerved by the unusual display from the normally stoic nurse, Nicole decided it better not to ask and left for the outside of the roof where she'd, hopefully, find Hiro eating lunch.

He wasn't there but she soon discovered where he was when the noise from the school grounds dragged her discolored eyes downwards and she saw a familiar style of hair in the middle of a sea of cooing and adoring females and, for the first time in her life, Nicole felt something that would, in the ensuing months, come to be quite familiar with.

Jealousy.

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Had anyone truly paid close attention to Hiro, besides Nicole and a few… others… the girls might have noticed the strange change the boy had been and was now undergone. As it was, none of the girls in the crowd took notice of the blue streak in Hiro's ponytail and how he'd slicked back his hair to rest behind his ears. His now brilliantly blue eyes seemed to radiate the calm maturity in his voice that many boys his age severely lack as was evident in the crowd of jealous boys watching and, for some, taking notes to what the exchange student was saying to entice the girls to him.

However, to the trained eyes of Hiro-Blue, there was one fish that was not amongst the school of girls surrounding him and though he were not aware of it, there was a particular reason he went fishing for her above all others, but we have stepped ahead of ourselves haven't we?

The possessed boy made his gentle excuses and left the crowd of enamored girls and frustrated boys behind, his goal now focused on finding the one girl that stood out in the memories of his host's mind. He found her sitting with four other girls and though he was tempted, Hiro-Blue knew better than to flirt with them all at the same time like he had earlier. '_To catch the prettiest fish, one must use a lure made for it._'

"My eyes must truly be in need of these spectacles for I cannot believe the sight before me." The girl stiffened a faint flush spreading over her cheeks as her four friends found reasons to vacate just within hearing distance of the pair. "I never knew you to be so beautiful, Will."

The red-haired girl knew that her face was as red as her hair; it had to be for she rarely ever got comments about her appearance from a boy. "Y-You must be joking. I'm not beautiful." She muttered under her breath. "Not even close."

Hiro-Blue felt a strange twinge but ignored it in favor of sitting down beside the girl and leaning forward to better see her face. "I suppose you are correct. Adorable is a much better word for you."

Will pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them as Hiro-Blue sat back, smiling and calmly waiting for her to finish reacting to his words, both ignoring the giggling not so cleverly muffled a ways off. After a long moment, Will slowly lifted her head so that her eyes were seen through her red bangs. "Are you flirting…… with me?" Hiro-Blue smiled and nodded. "Why?"

"Why not?" Hiro-Blue shrugged, "You give yourself far too little credit, Will. Young as we both are, we have time to mature from simple grains of sand to shining pearls though I must admit…" Hiro-Blue tapped his chin, "if you mature further, I may well have to start wearing sunglasses."

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"WHERE IS IT?!" came the screeching voice of the Adamantoise Imagin before several large shelves stocked with jars of culinary delights shattered into wood and glass, their contents spilling on the floor. The turtle-like monster roar in rage, heated steam blasting from its beak and adding further damage to the superstore it had been ransacking for its holder's wish.

"I'm tired of this!" it growled deeply in its slow rumbling voice. "If I need to, I'll break that idiot boy's bones to bread just to get him to make a different wish!" It leaned back on its hind flippers before slamming its horned head down onto the floor, shattering it and falling down into the sewers.

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The final bell had rung and though he had not scored a date for the evening, Hiro-Blue had cast many lures out amongst the girls of the Institute so all that truly remained was to be patient. He chuckled, remembering the interesting reactions he got from Will and wondered whether Hiro would be pleased or embarrassed to find his own feelings spoken so freely by Hiro-Blue.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hiro-Blue blinked in surprise at Nicole who was standing in front of him on the sidewalk towards home.

"Wrong, Nicole-chan?" asked Hiro-Blue. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"

The bluenette shivered, whether in rage or otherwise one could not tell, and spoke harshly to the possessed boy. "You can't flirt worth a shit and you had the entire female half of the school eating out of your hands earlier at lunch! And you never call me Nicole-chan." The last was spoken in a harsh mutter, which earned a grin from Hiro-Blue.

"Nicole-chan, you need not be jealous. You'll always be the first in my heart." The orange-eyed girl blinked rapidly in surprise, a faint pinkness on her cheeks.

"Wha-…? Re-Really?"

"Of course, I—"

_"Oh my head… what's going on?"_ Hiro's voice echoed in Hiro-Blue's mind. _ "Hey! Who in the world are you?!"_

"Oh snap…" whispered Hiro-Blue. If the real Hiro was awake that would mean—

_"Found you, you body-snatching bastard!"_ The other Imagin would find him. _"Get out of there!"_

_"Sorry, but I'm using it right now. You can wait until I'm done."_ Hiro-Blue replied.

"LIKE HELL!" Ifrit forcibly took control over Hiro's body, shoving the other Imagin out. "Rotten bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Hiro?!" gasped Nicole, her eyes wide at the sudden change in her friend's personality and the slight differences in his appearance.

The Blue Imagin shoved back and took control once more. "I like this body; you could be kind enough to allow me some use of it."

Ifrit pushed him out of Hiro's body, again taking control. "That's bullshit! I was here first, so it's mine!"

"Mine!"

The two Imagin began pushing and shoving against each other, using Hiro's body as a battlefield until the boy had grown tired of it. _"ENOUGH!"_ The two Imagin were roughly blasted out of the boy's body, both landing roughly in the Eido-Liner café car.

Hiro fell to his knees and gasped for breath. '_I wonder if I'll ever catch a break…_' He stiffened and slowly looked up to see Nicole watching him in bewilderment. "Um… Yo?"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Yuffie-chan squeaked in surprise, ducking down behind her counter at the loud crash from the two Imagin falling from the ceiling of the car. Startled by the noise, Tifa ran into the car and saw that Ifrit had obviously found Hiro and the other Imagin and both were now paying for using Hiro's body as a playground. Ifrit roughly pulled himself to his feet, one hand holding himself steady while the other rubbed at a horn atop his head.

"Damn, forgot the little shit could do that…" he groaned.

"Yesss, as did I…" groaned the Blue Imagin.

Everyone looked at the new Imagin and were not as surprised by his form as they were by his and Ifrit's sudden appearance. He was shape like a snake and was easily as long as the car with coils colored in shades of blue and pale purple. He had a pair of vibrantly colored fins like a fish along the ankles of his duck like feet and torso that gave him a winged-appearance. His forearms were muscular and his clawed hands were webbed and his head was a strange blend between fish and man as he had hair enough for a turquoise colored beard but for his head was a pair of long colored fins with a pair of sapphire earrings dangling from shining silver.

He scrunched his snakelike body tight to his legs and stood over Ifrit by several feet, the tips of his fin-ears touching the ceiling. He stretched his body out and circled around the frowning Hellhound Imagin, who glared at the scrutiny.

"What the hell you looking at, Snake-jerk?"

"Hsssss," The Serpent Imagin hissed gently, almost laughing. "I had heard our shapesss come from our contract holderssss but… Hssshssshsss." Now he really was well and truly laughing at the enraged Ifrit.

"Oy, shut the hell up! Like you're one to talk, idiot snake!"

"Hmmm," hummed Yuffie-chan. "Well, it is Hiro-kun… so then you must be… Leviathan!"

"Leviathan?" hissed the newly named Imagin.

Ifrit grinned, revealing sharp canines, "Ha! It suits you, Snake-jerk! Now then…" Ifrit noisily cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this matter of you kidnapping my contract holder settled."

Leviathan sighed and leaned back upon himself, twisting his hand and placing a long smoking pipe in his mouth. "Here?"

"Where the hell else would we meet? The moon?" snarled Ifrit.

"Would you ssstop that?" sighed Leviathan, taking a puff from his pipe. "Sssuch language isss unbecoming and there are ladiesss present."

"At least I don't talk with a damn lisp!" Ifrit shot back at Leviathan, who slowly lowered his pipe to glare at the shorter Imagin with snakelike eyes.

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Hiro skated along slowly, his eyes downcast. He hated lying, especially to his friends, but really what choice did he have? What could he tell Nicole and hope that she'd not press the idea of getting involved with all of this? As long as no-one was away of his… responsibilities, no one would get hurt. Except for himself.

And that was exactly as he preferred it.

Immersed so deeply in his thoughts, Hiro never noticed one of the few pedestrians walking the sidewalks of the suburbs until Hiro had knocked into him, falling flat on his butt. Hoping this wasn't going to be a repeat of past event's Hiro quickly pushed himself to his knees, offering apologies but stuttered to a stop when he realized who it was.

He was a tall man, though not overtly so, and was a least four years senior to Hiro. He was dressed in a pair of dark brown slacks and a plain white shirt underneath an old bomber jacket. His hair was the color of refined copper, nearly shining, and bound in a tight braid that was two feet in length. His eyes were the color of dulled bronze and looking upon Hiro with a trace of bemusement.

"Wotcher, Hiro." The older boy chuckled, his British accent sounding odd to Hiro.

"Ah, Devonshire-san! Sorry."

"Adam is fine, Hiro." The boy, Adam, sighed, shaking his head.

"Ah, sorry…"

Adam chuckled, and easily pulled Hiro to his feet. "Be glad you ran into me and not Jason. He hates apologies."

Hiro shivered, silently thankful himself and ventured a change in the subject. "How are things?"

"Well and good I suppose, though I'm sure you are aware." The British-accented youth suddenly frowned looking down at Hiro. "Nicole's told me of a few strange things going on at the school. Especially around you."

Hiro winced, silently cursing his luck for running into Nicole's foster brother. "It's nothing serious…"

"These are serious times now, Hiro," said Adam, his eyes sharp. "Monsters appearing and randomly destroying portions of the city, it's a wonder those from the Japan aren't here already."

"I suppose—Wait… Monsters?"

"Haven't you heard? No, I suppose you wouldn't, you were in class. Another one of those sand-monster things has been randomly attacking anyplace that sells food. I heard most of the Grocers Strip has been evacuated already."

"I see… Well, I really must be off; I've something very important to take care of! Tell Nicole I'm sorry for earlier!" yelled Hiro as he skated off towards the direction of the Grocers Strip. Adam watched him go, his eyes following the younger boy as a belt appeared in his hands just shortly before he turned a corner and disappeared. The young man smiled in resignation, and turned back to continue on his trek towards home.

"Go get them, kiddoch."

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Hiro gripped the GF-Belt tightly, snapping it on as he skated as fast as he could towards the Grocers Strip. He pulled out the GF-Pass and, pressing the red button on DiscLoader Buckle, waved it over the shining buckle. "Start it up!"

"START GAME!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit and Leviathan's staring match was cut to an abrupt halt as the faint familiar tune of Fist Form began to ring in their ears. The Hellhound Imagin huffed a cloud of acrid black smoke and started off towards the middle of the car but paused to look back at the Serpent Imagin.

"Don't you dare run. This won't take long." He disappeared in a flash of crimson light. Leviathan took his pipe from his lips and sighed, soft mist flowing from his mouth.

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"FIST FORM!"

Guardian Force FF skidded to a halt and grunted in displeasure. His connection to Hiro allowed him to know everything the kid knew and as such, both knew they were still too far from the Grocers Strip to get there in time to stop the Imagin. Guardian Force FF suddenly grinned, remembering something that Tifa had told him about the motorbike on the Eido-Liner.

The Redfire Rider put two fingers to his "lips" and whistled loudly. "Chocobo! Come here!"

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The Grocers Strip was an area of Heatherfield that, as one might guess, sold food but not just any kinds of food. From the everyday apple to the rarest of delicacies could be found in the Grocers Strip. It was a place where many of the restaurants of Heatherfield, both expensive and cheap, purchased the ingredients to fuel their menus and during times of oversell, a few of the fast-food places would sneak about and purchase the better qualities found in the Grocers Strip. It was likely the cleanest place in all of Heatherfield and it smelled richly of baked breads, warmed meats, with several kinds of fruits and vegetables added to the mix.

In the span of a single hour, that heavenly appearance had been completely and utterly destroyed.

"I… Have Had… ENOUGH!" screamed the Adamantoise Imagin, steam blowing upwards from the streets, further adding to the stink of spoiled food and drink. "I don't care of I can't go to the past! I'm going to break that boy in two until he makes a sensible wish!"

A sudden eagle's cry was all the warning the monster got before its eyes were nearly scratched off by a golden, feathered blur that flew past it. Howling in rage, the Adamantoise Imagin turned emerald eyes towards Guardian Force FF and his mount, a large bird. G-Force FF hopped down and patted the large bird's neck, earning a soft croon from the avian before it changed once more into its motorcycle form and disappeared back to the Eido-Liner.

The Adamantoise Imagin made a low gurgling sound in its throat. "Guardian Force…"

"Ah, know me already? Damn, I guess that takes half the fun out of it then!" G-Force FF shot forward, the Ali Shar glowing and igniting into flames. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_"

The turtle-like monster opened its beak and spewed forth a cloud of superheated steam, which caused G-Force FF to skid to a halt and jump high over the attack to land on the monster's shelled back. Fire ignited along the Rider's arms as he retained a tight grip on the now bucking Imagin. He was caught at a standstill with the monster. Being a turtle, the Adamantoise Imagin's one true weak spot was its head but being a fire elementalist, G-Force FF had a weakness for water and all things related to it. Superheated or not, steam could and would hurt him.

"Looks like its straight to the A-Game with you, Turtle-boy!" Guardian Force FF pulled out the GF-Pass and waved it over the DiscLoader Buckle. Crimson energy zapped into the palms of the Ali Shar, blazing hot fire igniting around the battle gauntlets before suddenly going out as Guardian Force FF dropped to a crouch. "Wha-What the hell…?" he grunted.

_"I'm sorry…"_ whispered Hiro. _"I guess I'm exhausted from earlier…"_ G-Force FF didn't have to wonder just what Hiro meant and cursed Leviathan with several foul oaths promising pain of the highest order as the Adamantoise Imagin suddenly shot backward in an explosion of steam, falling back into the sewers and escaping.

"Damn it…" cursed G-Force FF, unlatching the belt and reverting back to Hiro, who fell down onto his back in exhaustion. He gasped for air, his eyes looking up towards the downcast sky. "Another Imagin like Ifrit… I don't know if I can handle this… maybe it was a mistake… becoming Guardian Force…"

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

**

* * *

**

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Ifrit:_ God damn it! Thanks to that stupid Snake-jerk, that Imagin got away! Geez, what the hell kind of wish was it trying to grant anyway? Aw, shit! Water! Man I hate water more than I hate losing! Eh? What the hell, Baka-teme! Don't tell me you're going to ask for that Snake's help! What kind of help can a cowardly liar give?!

_The Sea's False Truth; The Reel Lie_


	4. The Sea's False Truth

Me: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ... At least, those that celebrate it!

Bahamut: Don't see why they wouldn't. Good excuse to stuff yourself silly with delicious foods.

Mewtwo: Not that you need an excuse.

Bahamut: WHAT WAS THAT?!

Poupoko: (Camille says the foods done!)

Mewtwo & Bahamut: OUT OF THE WAY!

Me: Hey! I call dibs on the wishbone!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Sea's False Truth; The Reel Lie_

"You! Snake-jerk!" Ifrit reappeared in the café car of the Eido-Liner in a flash of crimson light. "I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"Really." Leviathan sighed, sitting in two seats at once with his legs and tail sitting across from him at one of the tables. He breathed out a cloud of steamy smoke from his lips. "To catch an idiot, one doesss not need bait after all…" he murmured to himself.

"What was that?!" Ifrit cracked his knuckles. "Oh, I am going to really enjoy this…"

"Hssss, So you sssay." Leviathan slithered forward to stand before the Hellhound Imagin.

Behind her counter, Yuffie-chan rested her head on her hands, watching in excitement as the match unfolded before her. "Ifrit versus Leviathan… Fire versus Water! You can do it!" She cheered but to whom neither Imagin knew. Ifrit merely cocked his head before his clawed hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Leviathan's neck, his claws digging into the soft under scales.

Leviathan's eyes narrowed, his fins turning a dark blue in rage. "That hurtsss!" His body curved around Ifrit and constricted tightly. Ifrit growled and slammed his back against the wall, loosening the Serpent Imagin enough for the Hellhound Imagin to toss him to the car's other side. Leviathan hissed angrily and shot forth a blast of water from his mouth. Ifrit ducked beneath the water ball and returned the attack by tossing forth a ball of conjured fire. Leviathan charged straight at the red monster, twisting around the burning orb, and slamming them both at the counter.

By now, Yuffie-chan had ducked down behind the barrier of the counter and was screaming for them to stop but neither Imagin listened as they continued to beat each other senseless, the car shaking back and forth from their actions.

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Tifa shivered from the autumn wind, her eyes taking in the devastation with cold familiarity. She had grown concerned for Hiro and had decided to witness the battle herself to make sure the Imagin was destroyed. Oh, and to be sure that Hiro would be alright though she didn't feel too concerned. Though she loathed admitting it, Ifrit was the better fighter of the two and he'd make sure to look out for Hiro if only to keep his own skin intact.

"Speaking of Hiro…" Tifa whispered, looking around in confusion. The Eido-Liner had dropped her off farther off then she had suspected but she was able to find her way here thanks to the sound of the battle and while it was evident that it had taken place here, there was no sign of the victor. Tifa began to have a bad feeling deep in her gut and she began to run through the strip, calling for Hiro when she heard his voice, weak and heavy from fatigue answering her.

She found him lying flat on his back, a giant hole in the ground not far from him wreaking the air with the scent of sewage. Concern having fallen into a dark storm of fear, Tifa raced over, kneeling beside the boy's head, screaming his name.

"I'm fine…" whispered Hiro. "I'm… sorry, Tifa…" His eyes opened slowly, their hazel color dulled and nearly glazed over from the strain the youth was under. "Gomen… but the Imagin… got away… gomen…" Hiro's eyes fell closed and his breath relaxed into slumber. Tifa stared at him for a long moment, her heart feeling heavy. His body was obviously strained from dealing with two Imagin warring over him and sub sequentially tossing out said monsters and having now having nearly lost his life, here he was apologizing to her…

She grabbed his arm and draped it over her shoulders, pulling Hiro to his feet. "Come on, hero… let's get you back to the Eido-Liner."

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Doug stared down at his journal in silence, wondering not for the first time whether or not he should dare to include today's events in the aged pages of the book resting silently on the picnic table before him. He sighed and shut the book, not noticing the trail of sand that fell from his arms until it was too late and the Adamantoise Imagin was towering before him on the table's opposite side.

"I don't care if you want to make the ultimate sandwich…" growled the turtle-like monster, tossing aside the table with its grand horns. Doug fell back onto the dusty ground as the Adamantoise Imagin slowly crawled towards him. "I will not spend another minute looking for a condiment that doesn't exist!"

'_Condiment…? That means…_' thought Doug, sighing aloud, "You couldn't find her."

"… Her?" The Imagin's beak spread itself wide in a vicious grin as Doug turned unnaturally pale. "So that's what you meant… Hahaha! Well then, it is only a matter of time before I find her and make her yours!" The Adamantoise Imagin burst into a cloud of sand and disappeared.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit mumbled curse after curse under his breath, wincing occasionally and touching his bruised snout. "Damn sadistic little wretch."

Leviathan didn't dare agree with the Hellhound Imagin, though his own nose was hurt. He glanced back at the spoon that was still imbedded tightly into the wall and breathed a cloud of fog. '_Such strength in quite alluring… when it's not against me… Still, couldn't hurt to try._'

"Misss Tifa, I happen to like ssstrong women asss yourself. For you." Leviathan pulled out a small bracelet made of shining pearls. The brunette spared them a harsh glare before turning her attention back towards the resting Hiro. "Ah, thisss form must be quite horrible to gaze upon." Leviathan sighed and sat back down at the table next to Hiro's, looking down at the boy, "Well, I guess when I'm in your body, its okay."

"You idiotic snake!" growled Ifrit. "Don't you even realize you attached to a—"

"Singularity Point? Yesss, I am aware. Ssso what?" Leviathan shrugged, smiling around his pipe. "I may not be free to move about as I wish but the limitsss is what makesss the meritsss, correct?"

"Merits?" muttered Tifa. "You mean you chose a Singularity Point, you chose Hiro, specifically because you knew you'd be safe in him… but what about your mission to go back to the past to change the future?!"

Leviathan closed his eyes, taking a long breath from his pipe, "There are some of us that desire to do ssso, I will admit." The Serpent Imagin opened his eyes, stretching his body out across the car to limit the space between his face and Tifa's. "But it's more important to me that I met you, Miss Tifa."

The girl looked disgustedly at the blue Imagin but her attention was quickly drawn away by Hiro, who had finally awoken enough to ask, "What… is a… Singularity Point…?"

"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me." Ifrit grunted as Yuffie-chan hustled past him to deposit a steaming cup of coffee before the freshly awakened boy.

Tifa shot the two Imagin a distrusting glare but seeing as both already knew there was no point in saving this conversation for later. However, she would not share her secrets, not with them and certainly not when Hiro was still recuperating. "I'll tell you about later, after we take care of that Imagin that fled." Inwardly, she flinched at her choice of words, but kept her determined mask on. "Right now, you need to rest and regain your stamina. I'll go and try and find the Imagin's contract holder."

"Will you be okay… by yourself?" asked Hiro, too tired to truly argue with her.

"Of course! I can take of any Imagin with ease!" Her smile turned into a feral frown at Ifrit's muttered, "Then why doesn't have us do the work?"

"Alright… if you're…" Hiro didn't say anything further, already fallen asleep and leaning against the wall. Tifa sighed, shaking her head but smiling at the boy's selflessness and departed for the Eido-Liner's next stop as Yuffie-chan placed a blanket over Hiro and taking away his, unfortunately, untouched cup of coffee.

Ifrit grunted to himself and sat down at his usual table, leaning back just enough to get comfortable and allow his large horns to hover over the seats behind him. Leviathan hissed a soft sigh, setting down his pipe at his own table as he stood up to take a better look around the diner car.

"It's unusually…"

"What?" Ifrit grunted, "Speak up, why don't'cha?"

"Should I sssay it's too boring… or perhapsss it is too quiet…?"

"Oy. Let me say this to you," growled Ifrit, feeling defensive about 'his' car. "If not for you being here, this would be a fun ride!"

Leviathan hissed dismissfully at the Hellhound Imagin, leaning forward to gaze out the window to see the rainbow colored sands of time blur past the speeding train. "I… was in that sea of endless color sssands." Ifrit looked up, surprised at this. "All alone… for countless years I wandered that ocean… alwaysss just seeing thisss very train speeding past and I would sssay to myself…" By now, Leviathan had all three occupants' attention as he continued with his tale. "Sssomeday… I will ride that train… With the taste of sand in my mouth, I grit my teeth…"

"You…" Ifrit was NOT crying. He just had something stuck in his eyes and his nose was sniffly because of that stupid Snake's smoking. Yeah, that's right.

Leviathan looked down at his fully-formed hands, reveling in the feeling of actually touching something once more. "I've finally obtained it… Freedom…" A single crystalline tear fell down from his eyes and down his snout.

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Tifa huffed to herself, glaring around at the vacant grocery mart, left completely untouched yet completely empty save for the stubborn owner who refused to find shelter, monster or no monster. Why would the Imagin go through all the trouble of tearing about any place that sold food and then suddenly stop for no apparent reason? She had considered the idea that the owner of this particular shop was the contract holder but her instincts told her otherwise. Leaving the Kwik-E-Mart behind, Tifa walked aimlessly, her mind busy with thinking of just what the Imagin could be after when a newspaper suddenly flew into her face.

Shouting several words that'd make Ifrit proud, Tifa pulled the paper away from her face and blinked in surprise. It was the newspaper from Hiro's school, specifically the comics that, for whatever reason, Ifrit seemed to enjoy so much. One particular comic, that she refused to admit to liking, drew her attention and a memory played back in her mind.

_FLASHBACK_

_Tifa giggled and looked up at Hiro in amusement. "Quailman?"_

_Hiro chuckled. "Funnie-san has a strange imagination but an active one."_

_"And the reason he's wearing his underwear over his pants?"_

_"I think we're better off not knowing, Tifa." Hiro smiled, suddenly laughing and earning Tifa's confusion._

_"What is it?"_

_"I suppose you don't know. Funnie-sempai's comics tend to reflect a lot of things, particular himself and those close to him. As I recall, everyone is quite aware of his crush on a certain girl save for Mayonnaise-san herself."_

_In the background, Ifrit laughed uproariously, mumbling about fat cats and Mondays._

_END FLASHBACK_

"That's it!" shouted Tifa. "The Imagin was out destroying food! It was looking for a girl! Stupid thing must have finally figured it out!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Yuffie-chan nearly fell off her chair when the phone in the diner car started ringing but was quick to answer it. "Hello!" she chirped, smiling brightly. "Ah, Tifa-san! … Ano, Hiro-kun is out. With Levia-chan." She winced and held the phone out as far as she could as Tifa screamed.

_"WHY?! I told Hiro to rest, didn't I? I make that specifically clear, right? Then what is he doing going out with an Imagin in control of him?!"_

Seeing as Yuffie-chan was rather scared of the phone, Ifrit took it and answered for her. "Oy, oy. Don't blow your panties off. Unlike you, I understand how Hiro feels." He held a clawed hand to his nose. Darn allergies were acting up again. Yuffie-chan handed him a handkerchief, which was quickly snatched and pressed against Ifrit's eyes. "Leviathan's suffered quite a bit wandering about as he did. He gritted his teeth with the taste of sand in his mouth."

On her hand, Tifa stared at her phone in complete disbelief before screaming into it. _"You idiot! Baka-Dog! You Imagin came to this time by flying, right? Why would you wander for years, better yet, HOW?!"_ Ifrit and Yuffie-chan looked at each other in surprise, their sympathetic tears gone, but Tifa was not done. _"The taste of sand in his mouth?! He was made of sand before he possessed Hiro so how did he bite anything?!"_

Yuffie-chan pouted angrily but Ifrit's reaction was much more versatile. Yuffie-chan quickly snatched the phone out of his hand as the handkerchief in his other hand ignited into flames, falling away into ash as the Hellhound Imagin roared, "That snake-tongued bastard! I'll skin him and turn him into a pair of boots!"

_"He might just end up driving you out of Hiro completely,"_ said Tifa, completely unrepentant of her words. _"Bye."_

Smoke burst forth from Ifrit's nostrils before he tilted his head back and roared, "LEVIATHAAAAAN!"

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Hiro-Blue blinked, looking upwards to the sky before smiling and shaking his head, placing his pipe back to his lips. He took a deep breath and blew out a thin stream of colored smoke, which twisted about in midair to resemble a dragon, impressing the many female onlookers.

_"I don't mind you using my body, I really don't." _Hiro said. _"But can you please not smoke?"_

"Smoke?" Hiro-Blue chuckled to himself, pulling out a bottle of vitamin-enriched water he had purchased earlier. He took his pipe and poured a small amount of the wine-colored liquid into it before placing the wooden pipe back into his mouth and taking a deep breath. The "smoke" that floated lazily from the pipe was the same color as the water.

_"Nani…?"_

"Were I so eager to die," said Hiro-Blue, "I'd not perform the slowest form of suicide known to man. Like our canine friend, I am an Elementalist Imagin."

_"Elementalist Imagin?"_

"Yes," said Hiro-Blue, continuing on his walk, casting flirtatious winks that earned many girlish giggling. "Some of us Imagin can control certain elements. The Hellhound, Ifrit I believe his name is? He can control fire while I can control water in its liquid and gaseous state."

_"What about solid?"_

"A different field of expertise I'm afraid." Hiro-Blue sighed. His eyes caught something from the shadows and he smiled. "Let's continue on shall we?"

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"I see… Funnie-san?" whispered Hiro. He and Tifa were currently at the park, near the large lake. The girl had not been happy to find Hiro-Blue with several girls draped all over him and less happy at Hiro for allowing it, no matter how much the blushing boy protested his innocence.

"I think the Imagin's finally figured out he's looking for a girl, so what we need to do is to try and find her or the contract holder."

_"I know where the contract holder is."_ Leviathan said, not having left Hiro's body but allowing the boy control.

"Eh? You do?" Hiro noticed Tifa's confused look. "Leviathan says he knows where Funnie-sempai is. I'm switching with him."

"Wait a minute, Hiro!" Too late; with a faint crackle of blue-tinted light, Hiro-Blue was back in all his steam-smoking glory.

Slicking back his hair, Hiro-Blue smiled around his pipe. "Leave it to me, Miss Tifa. I'll guide the way, so let us depart." He took Tifa's hand, ignoring her scowl and started to drag her along behind him. "If I remember correctly, he was at the art store picking up supplies."

Tifa's scowl deepened and she ripped her hand out of Hiro-Blue's. "Do you enjoy lying so much?"

"Oh?" Hiro-Blue turned, cool and collected as always and looking quite unrepentant. "Looks like you didn't take the bait."

"Like I'm some foolish high-school girl! All you do is lie!" snapped Tifa.

Hiro-Blue chuckled. "You forget, Miss Tifa, you are not much older than Hiro is, possibly the same age and besides. A single lie is far more fun than a thousand truths."

"You lie to run away from the truth!" stated Tifa, getting in Hiro-Blue's face. "I hate people like you! Nothing but cowards."

"Better to a living coward than a dead hero as I like to say." Though his voice didn't say it, nor did his calm mask slip, Leviathan was hurt by those words.

Tifa frowned before scoffing and turning away from the possessed boy. "Give Hiro control back, at least I can count on him to do the right thing!"

"Wait!" The two turned and saw Doug Funnie stumble out from behind a tree. "It was me! I made a wish with that, that monster! It was me…"

Hiro-Blue sighed, rolling his eyes and he relinquished control back to Hiro who shuddered before speaking, "Funnie-sempai, what kind of wish did you make about Mayonnaise-sempai?"

"I… I wished that she'd be…"

"YOURS!" A monstrous voice roared from the lake before the Adamantoise Imagin burst from the water of the lake, an unconscious Patti Mayonnaise hanging limply from its beak. The monster tossed the girl straight at Doug, who fumbled but managed to catch her shortly before falling on his behind. The Adamantoise Imagin pulled himself out of the water, charging past Hiro and Tifa to tower over Doug. "Your wish has been granted, now it's time to grant my own."

The Adamantoise Imagin stuck its claws into Doug, seamlessly pulling him into two separate halves, a swirling portal shining between the pieces. It flew through the portal and Doug fell onto his back, unconscious. Tifa wasted no time in pulling out a Slot Ticket and placing it on Doug's head. The date August 11, 2002 appeared in shining red letters alongside the picture of the Adamantoise Imagin.

Neither Hiro nor Tifa had to wait long as the Eido-Liner pulled up and they hurried aboard and headed to the past.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"You bastard!" Ifrit was no longer smoking mad but he was still in a rage if the faint embers falling from his mouth were any clue. He grabbed Leviathan by the throat and slammed the Serpent Imagin down upon the floor. "How dare you try and fool me with your bullshit!"

"When fishing," said Leviathan, rising to his feet, "one mussst make the bait must appear worth eating, no?"

"Don't be using no damn fishing analogies with me, bastard! Get away from Hiro!" growled Leviathan, grabbing the blue Imagin by the fins along his shoulders. The fight, however, was ended before it had even begun by the loud tapping of a cane.

The two Imagin and the three humans turned to look at the car's opposite side and saw an elderly gentleman in his late fifties standing there dressed smartly and for all the world appearing as though he knew more than he was letting on. His skin was dark, almost unnaturally so, and his hair, thinned from his years, was a dark shade of blue but his eyes were the most unique feature. His eyes were a blend of not two but four colors, green and blue in his right and red and amber on his left.

He walked slowly up to the two Imagin, both of whom took a half-step back, though neither would admit it. "Quarrelling in the cars puts me in a tough position. The problem lies in whether or not you possess a pass." His eyes fell upon Hiro, who stiffened at the strange form of scrutiny in the older man's mixed eyes. "If you do not wish to share your Pass with this Imagin," he said, indicating Leviathan, "then I will remove him."

Leviathan's head shot up in surprise, nearly hitting the ceiling while Ifrit grinned widely. "Of course! Right, Hiro?"

Hiro didn't look to sure and he had no doubt that this man, whoever he was, could do so with ease. "If I do… what will happen to Leviathan?"

"He will be lost in time…" said the man, his eyes hardening upon the Imagin, "for eternity." The Eido-Liner's loud whistle broke the uncomfortable silence. The man glanced up, his right eye seeming to shine brighter than his left. "We are about to arrive." He turned to walk to the door he entered from. "Please decide."

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_August 11, 2002_

_Doug was running to school, already the first day and he was going to be late! So deep in thought for his upcoming bad first impression, he never noticed the sand falling from his racing form._

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Okay…" whispered Hiro. "Leviathan… can share my Pass."

Yuffie-chan looked mildly startled, Tifa outright shocked, and Ifrit was looking torn between utter anguish and maniacal rage. Leviathan simply stared at the boy in silence while a small smile lifted the corner of the man's mouth as he turned to leave.

"Funnie-sempai admitted his guilt because of Tifa being mad at Leviathan." Hiro explained, before looking up at the Serpent Imagin. He smiled knowingly at the serpentine monster. "You knew all along that Funnie-sempai was following us. That's why you purposely spoke to me aloud to attract his attention, so that he could confess to making a contract with the Imagin."

Leviathan merely puffed a cloud of steam from his pipe as Ifrit scowled in displeasure while Tifa herself eyed the blue Imagin with something like respect in her eyes.

"I know lying is bad," said Hiro, "but if you lie to protect people… than I don't think you could be as bad as you want us to believe."

Leviathan kept his calm façade and returned to his usual seat, puffing away like a steam engine.

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_August 11, 2002_

The sand suddenly exploded from Doug's body, knocking him down onto his face, completely unconscious to the world as the Adamantoise Imagin reformed in the past. The turtle-like monster grinned at the cars that screeched and collided into other as passerby screamed and fled like demented chickens. A faint ticking sound from the street's opposite side brought the monster's attention to the one person who had not fled.

The Adamantoise Imagin's eyes widened in surprise before a positively evil grin spread itself on its beak. Steam condensed in its mouth before it blasted forth in a thick stream only to collide against the Eido-Liner as it rushed past, Guardian Force Fist Form landed before the Steam Elementalist Imagin.

"You again?!" roared the Adamantoise Imagin.

"That's right, you sack of hot-air! I'm back and ready to kick. Your. ASS!" Flames ignited along G-Force FF's gauntlets. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_" With a burst of steam, the Imagin shot to the side, avoiding the fireballs. It looked past the Crimson Fire Rider and saw its target gone.

"I don't have time to fight you!" it growled. "Get out of my way!" Its limbs retracted into its shell, leaving only its head out as it shot forward on the power of steam. Guardian Force FF had no chance to dodge as the Imagin plowed straight into him, pushing them through wall after wall until, at last, the two had been launched clear into Heatherfield Bay and into the waters.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Purposely lying…?" Tifa murmured under her breath, gazing down at her coffee. "Why would he think that? He looked so serious too…"

Yuffie-chan looked up from the freshly wiped counter she had been working on and smiled brightly. "Hiro-chan is like that. He's rather amazing really."

Leviathan ignored them both, looking out the window towards the sands. '_Saved by the fish that I caught… how… embarrassing…_' The Blue Imagin suddenly sat up, alert as a snake prepared to strike. Through his connection to Hiro, he was able to sense the boy's feelings, hear his thoughts, and feel his pain, but it wasn't just his pain that Leviathan was feeling. '_That mutt…_'

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_August 11, 2002_

"Crap!" Guardian Force FF screamed, futilely trying to keep himself from sinking but the pain of the water was too great to ignore. "ARRRGH!"

_"Ifrit!"_

From above, the Adamantoise Imagin glared down at them, snickering. "I'm surprised you're still alive. I guess you're not much of a Fire Elementalist if the water doesn't kill you straight away!" it crowed, swimming back towards the surface. The pain was too much for Ifrit, he had already fallen unconscious, leaving both he and Hiro to fall to the bottom of the sea.

_"Ifrit! Ifrit, wake up! This is bad… What do I do?"_ whispered Hiro.

_"Hiroyuki."_

_"Leviathan?"_

_"I won't let you belittle my liesss,"_ hissed Leviathan.

_"What are you saying at a time like this?!"_ cried Hiro.

_"I lie so that I can lie, there isss no more to it than that."_ Leviathan stated.

_"No…"_ though he was no Tifa or Nicole, Hiro could be stubborn if he wanted to.

_"But my being a Water Elementalist wasn't a lie."_ Though it was Ifrit in control of Guardian Force Fist Form, Hiro still had enough control to blink in surprise. "Shouldn't you be pushing that button? It'll allow me to switch with Ifrit."

Hiro grunted with the effort needed to move his arm to the DiscLoader Buckle and press the blue button. A tune more befitting an underwater environment rung from the belt as the buckle itself lit up with blue light and called forth Guardian Force's new form. "ROD FORM!"

Guardian Force's armor broke off from his body spinning wildly about before latching back on and appearing far different than Fist Form's armor. Colored aquatic blue, the armor was not as bulky as Fist Form's and, like Leviathan, had a pair of fins jutting out from the elbows and behind the ankles. A pair of earrings dangled from the fins alongside G-Force RF's helmet, which greatly resembled Leviathan's head albeit more animalistic in nature with the shining red visor being caught in the mouth. Steam condensed in his hands, stretching out to be longer than he was tall before bursting apart to reveal a dark blue staff tipped with a dragon headed harpoon-blade.

Guardian Force Rod Form twisted about, aiming his staff, the Skadi, down and shooting upwards towards the surface at great speed. By now, the Adamantoise Imagin had pulled itself onto a rocky outcropping, glaring back at the water with obvious glee. "Drown in hell, traitorous scum!"

It bellowed in surprise as the water suddenly exploded upwards as G-Force RF leapt from the sea and landed on the small rock's opposite shore, his back turned to the Imagin. He turned slowly, smiling beneath his helmet as he shouldered the Skadi. "Won't you let me string you along?"

"You bastard!" The Adamantoise turned towards the water, hoping to gain the greater advantage when the bladed tip of the Skadi impaled it at the base of its neck, pulling it hard onto its shelled back. "Get over here!" yelled Guardian Force RF, pulling back the rod and reeling in the impaled Imagin along the length of bladed cord. "_Geyser of Power!_" Thin strips of water burst from the tip of the staff, lashing at the downed Imagin like whips. The Adamantoise Imagin howled in rage, shooting steam from its mouth and launching itself into the water, tearing the blade from its neck.

Guardian Force RF stepped up to the edge and looked to the water. "Big missstake." He held the GF-Pass and waved it over the DiscLoader Buckle. "FULL CHARGE!" The blade of the Skadi snapped back into the staff as blue-tinted energy crackled forth from the belt and into the weapon. Guardian Force RF slowly began to twirl the Skadi over his head, slowly increasing his speed until the weapon became a blur in his hands and energy crackled around it. "_Tsunami!_" The water flashed brightly for a brief instant before suddenly shooting upwards, taking several hundred gallons, and the Adamantoise Imagin, high into the air before slamming the monster down onto the rocky outcropping, destroying it from the pressure of the waterfall-like attack.

There came a mighty scream and, with a burst of light, the Imagin was reborn as a DeathGigas. Its forms still resembled a monstrous turtle infused with cybernetic implants for blades and beak. The berserker roared and dove into the water with a mighty splash, heading back towards the city in hopes of once again catching its prey.

"It's often what appears to be the littlest fish that is the biggest. Not just a saying it would seem," muttered G-Force RF. The call of the Eido-Liner rang through the air before the time-traveling train appeared being lead not by the Fist Form's train the Leonhart, but by Rod Form's; the Strife. Shaped like a serpentine dragon of the orient and stretching to be twice the length of the Leonhart, the head of the train opened in a roar, revealing the harpoon launcher in its mouth. With a determined smile, G-Force RF leapt up hurried aboard and started the Chocobo, once more in motorcycle form, inside of the Strife.

The Turtle DeathGigas, seeing the trains coming from behind, dove down into the water as the Leonhart released its payload of fireballs into the ocean after it. The burning orbs exploded against the berserker's hard shell, earning its maddened rage as it shot upwards towards the surface, shrieking in rage just as the Strife car launched forth its harpoon straight into its gullet, keeping its mouth wide open for the two hydro-cannons on its forward side to launch their payload of near frozen water into the beast's stomach. The attack seemed almost useless against the aquatic DeathGigas until a small spark seemed to alight in the Strife's "eyes"

"There!" Guardian Force RF pressed the AOA (All-Out Attack) Button shortly before electricity arced out along the length of chain and into the DeathGigas' wet mouth. Beams of light began to burst from cracks along its shell as the Strife retracted its harpoon and disappeared out of time just as the DeathGigas exploded in a fiery death.

Ironic no?

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"You see? Self-deception, lying, and fabrications… it's a way of life!" Leviathan placed a hand atop Hiro's head, smiling with his head beside Hiro's. "It's my job to teach this boy this and so much more!"

Tifa pushed the two apart, glaring at the Imagin. "Stow it, Levi!"

"You snake-tongued bastard." Ifrit rose to his feet, his injuries healed and his strength renewed from the earlier battle. "I still haven't forgiven you. Don't act big."

Leviathan sighed, placing his pipe back into his mouth. "You truly don't need bait… to deceive a fool's fool."

Ifrit stared at the blue Imagin before growling low in his throat, his hackles rising. "You Snake-Skinned-teme… I'm going to turn you into a pair of leather boots!" He gripped at Leviathan's throat only for his hand to be smacked away.

"And I shall turn you into a dog's chew toy." Leviathan stated calmly.

Ifrit growled, his fists clenching tightly. "I'll turn you into a wallet with the leftovers!" Hiro looked between the two of them in surprise before suddenly laughing, making the two Imagin pause. "Oy, what's the hell is so funny, Baka-teme?!"

"It's nothing, just; just the two of you act just like… well, like brothers!"

"SAY WHAT?!" Both Imagin leapt apart from the other, their backs turned to the group and looking away from each other.

"I'm nothing like that snake-tongued jerk!"

"I'm far more refined than this canine."

"Here you go!" Yuffie-chan suddenly said, holding out two cups of coffee for the Imagin. "Ifrit-Chan and Levia-chan Special!" The two Imagin nodded gratefully and took a long sip.

"It's good." Both blinked in surprise and spared the other a glare before focusing more on their coffee, both trying their best to ignore the laughter from the human trio.

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"You know who the Kamen Rider is."

Adam looked up from his cup of English tea. He was sitting in the diner local known as The George, one of the few places in Heatherfield that brewed a decent cup of British tea to the foreign boy's palette. The youth who had addressed him was younger than him, roughly a year older than Nicole really, and was tanned from constant exposure to the sun. His hair was a bright shade of blonde, bleached from the constant sunlight, and his eyes were a dark blue, almost black.

"And what leads you to this conclusion, J.D.?" asked Adam.

"Despite his orders, I've yet to see you do anything about researching the Rider, which makes me think that you know more than you let on."

"Hmmm," hummed Adam, fingering his spoon.

J.D. glowered at the older boy. "Do you really trust this guy, Adam?"

"If I didn't," whispered Adam, "would I risk our cover?"

"I guess not…" muttered J.D., looking down at Adam's plate. "You're not going to eat that are you?"

"As a matter of fact…" Adam twirled the spoon on his fingers. "I am."

He took a bite.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

**

* * *

**

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Tifa:_ I make it no secret of my… dislike for Imagins and I can understand why you want to use the two you have Hiro but you can't go on this mission of altruism anymore! One was bad enough, two is downright wrong, but you can't keep saving the monsters we're trying to destroy, especially ones that have tried to kill you!

_The Third Stage; The Unbendable Mountain_


	5. The Third Stage

Me: (Flips coin and watches as it lands on its edge) Okay this is ridiculous!

Bahamut: I'll say. How many times have you flipped that coin now?

Me: Too many! And it keeps landing on its side!

Poupoko: (Allow me.) (Jumps atop table, knocking coin over)

Me: I don't know if that's really fair, but I'll take it!

Mewtwo: Just what were you trying to decide?

Me: Oh, it's a surprise... hehehehe...

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Third Stage; The Unbendable Mountain_

_"If reincarnation is possible, then I must have done something truly bad to deserve this…" _moaned Hiro, vainly trying to keep his eyes firmly closed.

_"Come now, Hiro. Why would you say such a thing?"_ asked Leviathan, currently inside of Hiro's body and using it as, quote, 'An exercise in my fishing abilities'. What the Serpent Imagin didn't say was that by fishing he meant flirting with every pretty girl he saw. Well, those who were unavailable at least. He never said how he knew, but Leviathan always seemed to avoid flirting with the girls who already had boyfriends and spurned those same girls should they attempt to flirt with him. Much to their mutual displeasure, this earned some respect for the blue Imagin from both Tifa and Ifrit.

_"Between you and Ifrit, I'm sure people are starting to suspect that I've split personality." _While not completely true, it was a good guess on Hiro's part. After all, most of the female half of the school was enamored with him, in no small thanks to Leviathan, while the bullying side of the male half was downright afraid him, with some gratitude towards Ifrit, and Nicole… Gods, he didn't dare think about how suspicious Nicole already was of him.

_"Or jealous, I might add, and though I will admit that Sempai hasn't helped matters…"_ Hiro-Blue smiled, taking a small sip from his bottle of water. "You underestimate the reels you've already cast, my friend."

_"Just… tone it down a bit… alright? I'm sure there are a few guys that like a chance too."_

Hiro-Blue scoffed, glancing side-long as though he could see Hiro for himself. "The problem lies more in their courage than in me. Though I'm sure not all of them are so… wishy-washy, yesss."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"I… sense a disturbance…" whispered Ifrit, his nose flaring, ears a-twitching. "I smell the stench of Imagin!"

Tifa's fist smacked the Hellhound Imagin upside the head. "That's you, stupid Imagin! Make your move or end your turn."

"Rotten, two-bit…" grumbled Ifrit, taking his seat once more. "Fine, I set one card facedown and summon Big-Shield Gardna in defense mode." He leveled a cocky glare at his opponent. "Beat that."

Yuffie-chan grinned over her cards. "Oh, I will!"

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"You are such a blockhead, Charlie Brown!"

"Wha-What'd I do now, Lucy?!" exclaimed the bald-headed senior, looking down at the volatile Lucy Van Pelt, who looked ready to explode in a violent rage at the boy.

"How do you expect to get a girlfriend if you're always so, so, wishy-washy all the time?" growled Lucy, her blue-colored bangs nearly on end. "You've no redeeming qualities whatsoever! You apologize for every little thing, you couldn't coach to save your life, your dog is a better baseball player than you are, and, and you're so WISHY-WASHY!"

"I-I'm sorry?" stuttered Charlie Brown. Yes, those facts, embarrassing as they were, remained as truthful as ever but he couldn't see just why that had set off his childhood… acquaintance… so badly as to be as red in the face as she was with anger.

Lucy glared at him. "You're hopeless." She turned with a huff and headed off towards her class before the bell signaled lunch hour's end. Charlie Brown sighed, running a hand along his goatee in a sign of long-suffering. Nigh ten years with dealing with Lucy and her infamous temper and one would think he'd be used to her put-downs and demeaning rants…

He shook his head and tossed his bunched-up lunch bag over his shoulder, past a floating purple orb that had been hovering over the duo since the rant had started. It was attracted by the shouting and had been amazed by how loud a young female could be but had grown interested in the youth that, while not standing up to her, did not back down from her either. Its decision made, it shot down and entered the boy's body.

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Hiro-Blue suddenly looked up, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed into snakelike slits.

_"Leviathan?"_ said Hiro. _"What's wrong?"_

"For a moment I thought… hssss, must be nothing…"

"Hiro? Can we talk?" Leviathan had no chance to protest to Hiro, who forcefully shoved him back to the Eido-Liner.

"Yes, Nico?" said Hiro, turning in his desk to look behind him at his friend. "Do you need help with your painting?"

Nicole's eyelids lowered halfway into a deadpanned glare. "What are you trying to say?"

"N-Nothing! Just—what did you want to ask me?" said Hiro, fearing a deadly left-handed slap from the girl.

"I… we're best friends right…?" asked Nicole, whispering only loud enough for Hiro to hear. The amber-eyed youth blinked in surprise.

"Of course we are," he said before cringing at the art teacher's warning glance. "Why would you suddenly ask me that?" he whispered.

"I just…" Nicole sighed. "I know that you've been keeping secrets, Hiro and I'm worried. With all these rumors going on about those monsters and that Kamen Rider…"

"Nico I… just have some things, private things, that I have to take care of here, before I can go back home." He said, sounding more truthful than he had in the past few weeks. Nicole looked into his eyes, trying to see something in them.

"Amber…" She whispered and grinned at Hiro's surprise look. "I believe you, Hiro." The Japanese boy nodded, relieved, and turned back to his work, heedless of the hard glare that Nicole was giving him. '_But those Imagin, I don't trust. We'll help you Hiro… even if you don't want it._'

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Leviathan and Ifrit both looked up, their eyes narrowed and their nostrils flared. Leviathan's webbed fins stood on end as did Ifrit's fiery mane. Tifa, being closest to the two Imagin, immediately took notice of their sudden silence.

"What's wrong?"

Ifrit took several deep sniffs through his nose. "There's an Imagin at Hiro's school!"

"A ssstrong one if we both can sssense him ssso easily."

"Him?" Yuffie-chan asked from her usual place at her counter. "How can you be so sure it's a boy Imagin?"

"Because girls are weak." Ifrit snorted.

Leviathan sighed, breathing a plume of steam from his pipe as Tifa set to immediately rectify Ifrit's statement with her fist and explained, "It'sss… an Imagin thing, Yuffie-chan. We can "sssmell" each other and know instantly whether or not a possible contract holder is taken."

Ifrit, using both hands to keep Tifa back, turned his head to growl at the Serpent Imagin, "That means you knew that I was already in Hiro and you still took him as a contract holder!"

Leviathan shrugged, "I actually thought he had a particularly bad-sssmelling dog. My mistake, Sempai."

"I'm gonna turn you into fish fillet!" roared Ifrit, forgetting about Tifa until her fist met his snout in a painful punch.

"What are you doing wasting time fighting?! Go and track down that Imagin before it manages to go into the past!"

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Robert Parr was not one to brag about himself nor was he the type to go looking for trouble but there was a reason that he was known throughout the school as Mr. Incredible. Appearances were not deceiving and contrary to what jealous competitors might say, Robert was built as strong as he was by natural growth and training. Anything that involved physical strength, you'd call Robert for the job and he'd get it done in a heartbeat and despite him being a jock, he readily stood up to his fellows in defense of those weaker than him. It was through these traits that he earned his nickname.

As well as his challenge.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Chuck?" asked Robert for the third time as he took a seat opposite of the bald-headed boy.

"Quite so." Charlie Brown grinned, his purple-colored orbs shining as he set his arm up onto the table. Robert looked a trifle concerned but grasped Charlie Brown's hand tightly before the two began to push against each other. Not only was it no contest, but Charlie Brown had managed to break the table alongside knocking Robert completely unconscious. Looking torn between concern for having broken the table and KOing a worthy combatant, Charlie Brown quickly made a hasty retreat but stopped just short of the door of the weight-training room.

He turned to look back at the downed Robert Parr and cracked his neck with a clenched fist. "Appearances are at best, a deception. My strength is not." He tossed a tissue which landed on Robert's face. "Wipe your tears with this."

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_"Are you sure it's here, Ifrit?"_ asked Hiro.

Hiro-Red growled an affirmative, glancing into the gymnasium and moving on before stopping and stepping back to look into the room. He let out a long whistle as he stared at the scene before him. It seemed as though the entire jock population, at least those that dared pick a fight with him, was there taking a dirt nap. Neither Ifrit nor Hiro had seen so much collateral damage outside of a full-out Imagin assault and certainly not involving people.

_"Are… Are they…?"_

"They're alive, I can smell it." Hiro-Red's eyes blazed, a faint trail of smoke coming from his mouth. "How the hell could an Imagin do this much damage and not draw anyone's attention?"

"Excuse me, but you are in my way." Someone spoke from behind Hiro-Red who didn't have a chance to do anything before he was lifted completely off his feet and moved to the side as Charlie Brown started into the gymnasium but stopped. "This… will take a lot of tissues…"

Hiro-Red stared at the bald-headed youth in surprise before growling in feral rage, his hair standing on end. "Takin' a walk or returnin' to the scene of the crime? Since we bumped into each other, let's fight!" Charlie Brown blinked in surprise, moving back from the gymnasium door and onto the school grounds. "You seem pretty strong… let's see if you can back it up!"

The Imagin-possessed Charlie-Purple sighed, shaking his head and starting to walk away, much to Ifrit's rage and Hiro's surprise. "Oy, don't turn your back on me!" roared Hiro-Red, cocking fist and rushing forward to punch Charlie-Purple from behind only for the older boy to turn and catch his fist with ease. Hiro-Red stared in shock at his fist, trembling with strength and faintly burning from heat in Charlie-Purple's unwavering hand.

"Putting up a strong front is not enough to defeat me." Charlie-Purple stated with calm assurance.

"What was that?!" growled Hiro-Red, glaring in disbelief at the possessed boy.

"There is a ranking to strength. I have equal strength of body and of mind, and while I commend you for your strength, my own would make you cry."

"Huh? HOLY SHIT!" roared Hiro-Red as Charlie-Purple tossed him clear across the school grounds and into the track field with a single hand.

Charlie-Purple pulled out a tissue and tossed it into the air, watching it as it drifted forth to land on Hiro-Red's head. "Wipe your tears with this," he said before turning and walking off.

Hiro-Red pushed himself up, spitting sand and grit from his mouth and turning burning eyes towards the possessed boy. "Get back here, you asshole!" He reached up and pulled the tissue off his head, glaring at it evilly. "Like I would cry from such a tap!" The tissue burst into ash in his hands and he briefly glanced down, his eyes suddenly wet.

_"It hurts…"_ moaned Hiro.

"DON'T YOU DARE CRY ON ME!"

Meanwhile, Charlie-Purple had found an adequate tree to practice punching on and had just reached punch number four when the tree suddenly started to topple over. Gasping in horror, he rushed around and pushed the hundred-year-old tree back into the dirt. A faint purple aura surrounded him in the shape of a tremendous horned beast that bemoaned his situation. "I did it again…"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"What the hell was that guy?!" grumbled Ifrit, keeping his cup of coffee warm in his hands. Leviathan leaned over the Hellhound Imagin's head, blowing a cloud of steam into the irate monster's face.

"Being flung away like that…" hissed Leviathan in amusement. "I would have died from embarrassment."

"Shut up!" Ifrit slammed his cup down on his table, nearly shattering it and spilling its contents. "I was caught unprepared damn it!"

"So you know this boy… Charlie Brown, Hiro?" asked Tifa, taking her customary seat across from the boy.

"Yes it's… a long story." Hiro sweatdropped at remembering how unlucky the boy was and how often he got shouted at by the school's scariest girl senior, Lucy Van Pelt. That and the fact that not only one but three girls were interested in him and he didn't have a clue whatsoever was the talk of the school. Still, despite his faults, Charlie Brown was one of the better baseball players Hiro had ever met.

Despite his bad pitching skills.

"I don't know what he could have wished for though…" said Hiro, "I don't want to sound mean but Brown-sempai is kind of… wishy-washy."

"More so than you?" asked Ifrit in sarcastic surprise. "Oh will wonders never cease."

Yuffie-chan stepped out from behind her counter to pick up the phone and, upon pressing a button on the panel, addressed the entire train through the speaker system. "We will soon be entering a tunnel. Passengers, please be careful and remain seated."

Not for the first time did Hiro wonder how Yuffie-chan could be so cheerful all the time but also why she'd frequently use the speaker to make announcements. Aside from the Imagin, the girls, and the mysterious "Conductor" of whom the girls spoke little of and the Imagin went out of their way to avoid, there was no one else on the train.

Right?

It was at this moment that Hiro suddenly realized what Yuffie-chan had said. "Tunnel?" he whispered before the light of the train went off, replaced by dark crimson lights that gave the diner car an eerie look. The boy glanced out the window to see outside but was surprised to see metal plates covering them. He looked over his shoulder to see if the other windows were the same and nearly fell out of his seat in surprise at seeing the Conductor suddenly there in the one section of the train no one, not even Hiro, had sat.

"Surprised? Such… gaps… exist in time." He said calmly as he placed his cane to rest beside him. He slowly drank his cup of tea that Hiro was sure wasn't there before he looked.

"I… wasn't surprised by the tunnel…" whispered Hiro, more to himself than to the Conductor. He knew not for sure why, but the older man made him feel… well, not good that was for sure. Hiro felt like he was walking a tightrope over a pit of daggers whenever this man appeared.

Ifrit huffed at Hiro's apparent fear, ignoring his own feelings of unease as he reached for his cup to take a drink of his special blend of coffee only to find the cup dry as a bone. "The hell…?" He tipped the cup upside down, looking first at the table and then up at Leviathan before rage filled his eyes. "You!" He swatted the Serpent Imagin upside the head, having to jump up slightly to do so, and managed to grab him in a modified half-nelson. "You drank my coffee didn't ya, Snake-tongued Pervert!"

"Where's your proof?" hissed Leviathan, trying to get out of the grapple when Ifrit reached up and, with a claw, swiped at Leviathan's mouth, glaring at the cream resting on his claw. "What's this cream, then? What's this cream, then?!"

"I've been like thisss since my own drink!" protested Leviathan.

"You drank it, and it was the last of the fresh pot! Spit it out, Snake-Jerk! Spit it out!" growled Ifrit.

Ignoring the squabbling Imagin, the Conductor continued speaking, pausing only long enough to take an occasional sip of his tea. "Hiro. Up until now, you haven't done anything to change the flow of time, of that there is no doubt. Small things in time, such as taking something from the past to the future…" He looked straight into Hiro's eyes, the four colors almost blinding in their intensity, "is comparable to a pebble being thrown into the ocean. No one, not even I, can change the flow of time so easily. Something on a greater scale however… the moment the flow of time changes the shockwaves of such a change are unbelievably large."

Though it appeared he was looking at Hiro, the Conductor's eyes actually rested on Tifa, who looked torn between shame and despair, her eyes refusing to meet anyone's, let alone the Conductor's. The older man suddenly looked up before rising to his feet and walking away, cane in hand, and disappeared to the front of the Eido-Liner just as the train had exited the tunnel at last. Tifa's eyes remained downcast and Hiro, finally noticing her discomfort, looked concerned as the Imagin duo continued fighting in the background.

Leviathan slithered past the two humans, going on all fours in order to do so, grunting, "Stubborn!" before shooting to the side as Ifrit dove for him, only to meet the back of Tifa's fist to his nose. He went down like a sack of potatoes to the applause of both Yuffie-chan and Leviathan, who looked immensely pleased as he licked the rest of the frosting from his mouth. "Stupendoussssly well done! You're amazing, Missss Tifa."

"The Conductor is right, Hiro." Tifa said, ignoring both Imagin. "We have to track this guy down and protect the flow of time!"

Hiro nodded, wary of setting the girl's wrath upon him. "I know some of Brown-sempai's hangouts… he's let me practice with his team from time-to-time at the baseball field…"

"Then let's go right away!" Tifa exclaimed standing to her feet and stepping right on top of the downed Ifrit's stomach. "Stupid Imagin."

Ifrit gasped for air, clutching at his stomach at shooting a vicious death glare at Tifa's retreating form. "Flatchested bitch…!"

Hiro stared after her. '_Tifa really hates Imagin…_'

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"This doesn't make any sense…" whispered Hiro, looking around at the baseball field where the unconscious forms of the nearby Amity Park's leading baseball team laid spread out throughout the dusty field. Just another group of victims to fall to Charlie Brown's Imagin, at least according to Tifa's thinking.

"What about it?" she asked, "Seems to me this Charles guy went and wished to be rid of bullies and his Imagin is doing the job rather well."

Hiro nodded numbly, quickly walking after Tifa as the two left the scene of the crime. "Brown-sempai loves baseball though! Even if he's never won a game, he'd never be involved in another team being attacked so, so brutally!"

"Are you acting stupid for a reason, Hiro?!" Tifa suddenly yelled. "Imagin don't care about what their contract user wants! All they care about is going to the past and rewriting history!"

Hiro stopped walking, watching as Tifa stomped away. He sighed, shaking his head and sitting down at a bench, pulling out a thermos of coffee Yuffie-chan had made for him and took a sip as he waited. It wasn't long until Tifa had doubled back, not mad as Hiro expected her to be, but rather apologetic.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper with you Hiro… I just… this is the only way I know how to talk, I guess…" She said, flinching at her lame excuse.

Hiro scooted over, beckoning for her to sit down beside him. She did so and Hiro looked at her in a long silence, trying his best to try and, once again, figure out the mystery that was Tifa. She said she was fifteen years old, only several months older than himself, and yet she seemed to have eyes like those who've lived too long and seen too much. "Why do you hate Imagins so much, Tifa?"

"I…" Tifa looked down at her shoes, rolling a pebble about with the tip of her right foot. "I don't have a time to call my own."

Hiro blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tifa didn't answer, gasping in surprise at having spotted their quarry walking right past them, towards the park. The two quickly chased after the possessed Charlie Brown, who turned to regard them both, his purple-colored orbs falling upon Hiro.

"You're the one from earlier." Hiro nodded nervously. He was not eager to be tossed away like a sack of garbage.

"Are you going to hurt someone again?" he asked, ready to dodge and call upon Ifrit for help.

Charlie-Purple glared at the smaller boy. "Don't dishonor my intentions! I'm going to practice the martial arts."

"How is that the martial arts!" yelled Tifa, getting in Charlie-Purple's face despite the danger. "All I see is someone using an Imagin's power to attack people!"

"Who would do such a cowardly thing?!" yelled Charlie-Purple, getting right in Tifa's face. Not willing to let harm befall his friend, Hiro summoned forth the GF-Belt, the pass carrier already in hand. Charlie-Purple took immediate notice of the device and smiled. "Could it be that you, little one, are Guardian Force! I am interested in testing your strength!" The possessed boy grabbed Hiro by the neck of his shirt only to let go in surprise as a small spark flame nearly burnt his hand.

Blazing red eyes revealed who was in control if the words alone did not. "Ore… sanjou!" Hiro-Red cracked his knuckles, grinning in feral pleasure as Charlie-Purple cracked his neck with a fist, smiling in anticipation. The larger boy charged forward but was quickly tossed away by Hiro-Red. He landed feet first onto the bench, breaking it into pieces.

"Not again!" Charlie-Purple hastily assembled the pieces together, trying to vainly put them back together again. Hiro-Red scoffed in disdain, marching over as small sparks of flame flew along his arms.

"Oy! I was unprepared last time, but it ain't happenin' twice! So, how do you want to this, eh? Like this, or should I transform?" he asked, fingering the GF-Pass.

Charlie-Purple rose to his feet. "I saw how strong you were earlier. Transform and show me your new strength!"

The boy's form was enveloped by a dark purple aura that swelled in size until the Imagin's full form appeared before Hiro-Red, who felt his mouth drop as his eyes widened in shock at the sheer size of the monster. The Imagin was large, almost as large as Leviathan is long which translated to him being ten feet tall at the shoulder alone, and was covered in dark purple scales with bright yellow quills flowing from its head like a horse's mane.

A pair of horns curved forward past his wolfish face by at least four feet and a webbed fin stretched from the base of his shoulders to the bottom of his spine. A similar red-colored fin adorned the tip of his tail, giving it a strange leaf like quality. Two large silver shackles adorned his wrists and ankles. The gigantic Imagin huffed, rising to his hind legs and standing at twice its original height. A tissue was held daintily in its large claws.

"Should I give this to you at the start?" The Beast Imagin grinned. "If you find me so intimidating before we even begin."

"Oy!" Those words were enough to snap Ifrit out of his shock. "Size don't matter squat with me, Ram-boy! The bigger they are the harder they fall! Start it up!"

"START GAME! FIST FORM!" The crimson-armored form of Guardian Force appeared from the crumbling cocoon of light, cracking the knuckles of the Ali Shar gauntlets. "I live for this shit!"

"We shall see." The Beast Imagin stated calmly before charging forth to the battle.

What occurred for the next several minutes could be better described as an embarrassing situation for the likes of Ifrit as every punch, flaming or otherwise, was batted aside with the Beast Imagin's monolithic tail. The creature had even gone back to standing on all fours. Soon though, the battle began to grow in intensity as Guardian Force FF used his pyrokinesis to the fullest, matching up against the Beast Imagin's strength.

Fire and smoke clouded the battle as it steadily moved away from the park and towards the Heatherfield Bridge, roars and battle-cries alerting those nearby of the approaching conflict between hero and monster long before the battle reached them. Finally reaching the base of the bridge, G-Force FF leapt aboard the Beast Imagin's back and used the monster's head as a springboard to launch himself just beneath the bridge's edge.

"You're pretty good." G-Force FF cracked his knuckles, grinning beneath his helmet. "But not enough to make me cry!" He whipped out the GF-Pass and waved it over the DiscLoader Buckle.

"FULL CHARGE!" Crimson energy shot from the buckle, shooting like lightning into the Ali Shar gauntlets. Fire condensed in the Rider's palms and, though startled, the Beast Imagin took to the final attack as well, pieces of earth slowly floating upwards around his glowing form. "_Hellfire!_" The large orb of blazing fire was thrown just as the Beast Imagin dodged to the side, sending forth chunks of earth flying at the Crimson-Fire Rider.

Unfortunately, G-Force FF's attack failed to score a direct hit while the Beast Imagin's own did not and sent the Rider tumbling through the air. There was a flash of crimson light and Guardian Force landed roughly face-first onto the dirt in Knight Form.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit landed flat on his side, heaving for breath with dark bruises covering his arms which he had used to shield himself from the Beast Imagin's attack. Smoke wafted slowly from his snout before he fell back onto the floor as both Leviathan and Yuffie-chan looked on in concern, the human-maid rushing forward with a medical kit in hand.

The Serpent Imagin towered over the prone form of his senior Imagin, smoking his pipe as usual. "My, my… Thisss can't be good."

"Very bad," agreed Yuffie-chan, trying to apply bandages to Ifrit even as he continued to struggle to his feet.

"Damn it…" he cursed, falling once again. '_Baka-teme…_'

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Tifa ran as fast as she could to Guardian Force's prone form, calling Hiro's name as she fell to her knees beside the unconscious Rider, shaking his shoulder lightly, in fear of injuring him further. The quaking steps of the Beast Imagin brought the girl's attention to G-Force's opponent and she stubbornly placed herself between the monster and the Rider.

The Beast Imagin regarded her impatiently. "My strength was not challenged by you. Please move."

"No! I won't let you Imagin kill Guardian Force! Never!" proclaimed Tifa, glaring up at the monstrous Imagin who did nothing but crack his neck with a large grizzly-paw.

"Tifa…" G-Force KF's hand fell upon her arm and Tifa turned to see his helmet-covered head weakly looking up at her. "Run… Run, Tifa…" She didn't move, instead staring at him with a strange blend of pride and fear as Hiro pushed himself to his feet. "Leviathan…" he whispered, pressing the blue button on the DiscLoader Buckle and waving the GF-Pass over its now blue-tinted surface.

"ROD FORM."

The plain silver armor broke off, spinning in place before latching back on in the familiar blue-tinted armor of Rod Form. With Leviathan now in control, Guardian Force RF stood calmly to his feet with his usual air of self-assurance, shouldering the Skadi. "I'd rather you didn't call me when you're in such a pinch," G-Force RF sighed as he dusted himself. "Oh well."

The Beast Imagin blinked in surprise, taking half-a-step forward. "Another one? You hold two Imagin?"

"Since I'm here," said G-Force RF, ignoring the large Imagin. "Won't you let me string you along?" He readied the Skadi when the earth began to shake from massive stomps. However, it was not the Beast Imagin who caused the quake but another Imagin entirely.

It towered over thirty feet in height, appearing rather like a human combined together with moss. Its skin was a pale shade of green and moss covered its head and shoulders like hair. It wore several belts strapped over its muscular male chest, and a pair of leather britches that ended in a pair of large metal boots. A chain was wrapped tightly around its right arm, attach both to its shoulder and a large anchor from a ship. The Giant Imagin stomped past, letting the anchor fly in a monstrous roar straight towards its intended prey.

Charlie Brown.

The Beast Imagin bellowed in rage, appearing almost instantly over the stumbling boy and catching the anchor in the shoulder. The purple Imagin growled, stepping onto the chain and holding the weapon down as he glared at the Giant Imagin. "What are you trying to do?"

"I need to do this to grant my contract holder's wish." The Giant Imagin spoke in a rumbling voice, like boulders tumbling down a mountain. He pointed at Charlie Brown, who had fallen once again to blissful unconsciousness. "He is the last one."

The Beast Imagin growled low in his throat, his hackles rising, making him look even more intimidating despite the larger size of his opponent.

Guardian Force RF shouldered the Skadi once more, shaking his head. "What is this mess we've waded into?"

_"It doesn't matter,"_ said Hiro. _"We've got to save Brown-sempai!"_

"Of courssse." The Blue-Water Rider let the harpoon-edge of the Skadi fly. "_Geyser of Power!_"

The Giant Imagin flicked the attack away like one would a fly but upon seeing Guardian Force, it made a deep rumbling noise in its chest, its beady eyes narrowing. "The Singularity Point? Troublesome…" In a flash of sickly green light, its body exploded into sand, falling away into the air as the orb of light that was once the Imagin took off, to where no one knew.

"This makes a whole new meaning of a snake shedding its skin, no?" G-Force RF hissed in amusement, shaking his head. "Mustn't chase a lost fish too far." He reached down and unbuckled the GF-Belt, canceling the transformation and disappearing back to the Eido-Liner as Hiro collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted.

Feeling a sickeningly familiar sense of déjà vu, Tifa raced over to the unconscious boy, calling his name as she knelt down beside him, trying her best to wake him when her eyes caught something that caught her by surprise. The Beast Imagin, instead of returning inside his contract holder had, instead, taken the boy on his neck and was carrying him away ignoring the two humans completely. He stopped suddenly before looking over his shoulder at Tifa, who stiffened at the sudden attention but nearly fell back in surprise at the Imagin's words.

"Tell him the first match belongs to me, but I expect a second round. He is… stronger than I expected." With that said, the Beast Imagin continued on, completely ignorant of the conflicting feelings he had evoked in the teenaged girl he had left behind.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

**

* * *

**

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Hiro:_ Something's not right here. Why would that Imagin go out of his way to save his contract holder? He wouldn't have cared if he was hurt so long as his contract was fulfilled, right? There's that other Imagin too… is he the one responsible for all those attacks? If that's the case, what wish is he trying to fulfill? Better yet, who's his contract holder?

_The Towering Peak; The Strength in Tears_


	6. The Towering Peak

Mewtwo: What... are you doing...?

Me: Thinking.

Mewtwo: ... On the ceiling?

Me: I'm getting a new perspective on things.

Ba-dump-bump!

Mewtwo: That joke was old before you said it.

Me: Yeah, yeah I know.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Towering Peak; The Strength in Tears_

"That god-damned goat… Next time we meet, I'm turning him into a t-bone steak! Extra crispy!" growled Ifrit, slamming his fist down at his usual table, faint embers glowing in his mane.

"Perhapsss…" hissed Leviathan, taking a long breath from his pipe and letting it out slowly before continuing to play with the red string Yuffie-chan had given him "To keep your hands busy," she said. Cat's cradle might be a childish game but when one's hands were webbed, it made it quite challenging.

"But he protected his contract holder, didn't he?" asked Yuffie-chan from where she sat atop her counter, looking over at Tifa who retorted with her usual venom.

"He was just saving his own skin!" She carefully helped Hiro to his seat and placed a blanket over him. "Imagins only care about completing their contracts."

"I think he's different though," whispered Hiro, feeling incredibly sleepy but managing to stay awake. "It's a… gut-feeling."

"Didn't he attack people though? An Imagin is still an Imagin!" protested Tifa.

"Maybe it was that Giant Imagin…"

"You're giving that Imagin too much credit, Hiro! Have you forgotten their goal?" she whispered harshly to the boy, so that neither of the two Imagin inside the car could hear her, or so she assumed. "If the flow of time is changed, it still affects you Hiro, Guardian Force or not!"

"But…"

"Enough. I'll go after that Imagin." Tifa stood to her feet, glaring down at Hiro, who struggled to sit up. "You stay here and rest, Hiro."

Hiro watched her go and sighed softly, looking imploringly at the two Imagin. Leviathan was too distracted by his game to notice but Ifrit was not and though he glared evilly at Hiro, he stood to his feet and followed after Tifa, grumbling under his breath about kind-hearted idiots and flatchest brats. The boy hid his smile beneath his blanket, '_You might be right about some Imagin, Tifa… but you're wrong to think all of them are the same…_'

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Charlie-Purple sneezed, blinking in surprise as he rubbed his nose with a finger. Shrugging, he continued with his newest method of training. Thankfully, nothing was broken so far though the building, new and built with sea-storms in mind, shook with every punch and kick. Purple-colored orbs looked skyward and saw a man falling from the building, a gun in hand and a large satchel in the other. Having already heard the sirens approaching, Charlie-Purple had a good idea as to what this man had been doing and so had no qualms with catching him if only to hurl him into a dumpster just as the police pulled into the scene. Charlie-Purple winced before making a hasty retreat.

That dumpster would never look the same again!

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Ifrit followed after Tifa at a decent walk, despite his sand-composed legs resting in the air above his head, quite content to ignore her cold looks that she'd send his way. For all of two minutes.

"Look, you hate me, and I hate you. I am willing to accept that shit, but what I ain't gonna accept is you hating me without a damn reason." Ifrit growled, wishing his powers could work in this body but also glad they didn't. Turning into glass wouldn't be a fun experience, of that he knew for sure. Tifa remained silent, not even bothering to shoot him a glare in return for his rudeness. Ifrit snorted in disdain before suddenly grinning with an evil idea. "Damn, if people from your time are as rude as you, perhaps it is a good thing they're all dead and dust."

Even being immortal as he was in this form, Ifrit felt the sudden coldness in the air, the sudden silence. He stopped, taking a half-step back, when Tifa reacted just as he thought she would. Not surprisingly, it took two hands to catch her fist before it could meet her face. Ifrit grunted, cursing the weakness of his current form, before glaring up into Tifa's angry eyes.

"Now that I've properly deserved your wrath, how's about you tell me exactly why you hate Imagin so much? You think all of us want to go to the past? I don't give a damn so long as I get a good fight and the perverted snake just wants to hit on every female in sight."

Tifa frowned before sharply pulling her fist free. "Shut up."

Ifrit frowned. "Listen here, you—" He stopped, eyes widening as his nostrils flared. "The other one's nearby… He's after the Ram-boy's contract holder. Good timing! I'll relieve my stress on that one! Hiro!?"

_"I'm coming! I'm coming!"_ The backdoor that led into the alleyway suddenly burst open and Hiro suddenly came stumbling out. "I'm here!"

"Alright!" With a burst of crimson light, Ifrit took control and together became Hiro-Red. "Ore, sanjou!"

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There was something poetic in fighting in an abandoned lot, especially one large enough to be used as a baseball field. Grass and dirt decorated the earth alongside large clumps of weeds. Insects scurried as fast as their exoskeleton legs could go from the area as the monstrously large Imagin stomped into existence at the scene

The Giant Imagin glared down at the minuscule Hiro-Red with something like amusement in its pebble-like eyes. "You are in my way."

"Shut up, and fight!" Hiro-Red roared, running forward, GF-Pass in hand. "Start it up!"

"START GAME! FIST FORM!" In a flash of light, gone was the human Hiro-Red, replaced by the Kamen Rider, Guardian Force in the familiar Red Fire armor of Fist Form.

"I live for this shit!" roared G-Force FF as he leapt skyward, towards the Giant Imagin's face as fire ignited in the palms of the Ali Shar gauntlets. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_" Fireballs peppered the monster's green-skinned face, earning a screaming roar from the beast before Guardian Force FF rebounded off the wall from behind the Giant Imagin to try for another pass when he was swatted out of the air like a fly.

G-Force FF hit the ground hard, digging an impressive trench and sending dirt high into the air. The dust hadn't even settled when the Red Fire Rider leapt up into the Giant Imagin's face once again, sending forth a strong barrage of punches until gravity resumed control and he fell to the earth, rolling out of immediate striking range and shaking his dominant hand as he went.

"Damn it, he's fucking hard!"

The Giant Imagin dropped its anchor, holding the large chain attached to it lightly in its meaty fingers. "Get lost if you don't want to be turned into a pancake." He lifted his foot high into the air before slamming it down, causing an earthquake of localized proportions with several large fissures appearing in the ground. G-Force FF stumbled to stay on his feet and once the ground stopped shaking, took immediate notice of the Giant Imagin's disappearance.

"HOW DOES SOMETHING THAT BIG DISAPPEAR SO QUICKLY?!" roared Guardian Force FF, reverting back into Hiro-Red and taking off after the Giant Imagin's scent trail like a bloodhound on the hunt. It took some time and a few surprising twists but, at last, Hiro-Red ended up exactly where the scent trail had faded off.

The beach.

Hiro-Red stared at the people decorating the sandy beach, his right eye twitching before he tilted his head back and howled in fury when Leviathan suddenly assumed control.

_"What the hell?! Get out you! I'm trying to find that Imagin!"_

"What you're doing is causing a needless scene, Sempai." Hiro-Blue hissed softly, his blue eyes never leaving the young boy that wasn't dressed for the beach and currently looking quite freaked as he ran as fast he could from it. "Fools rush in where wise-men walk."

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Linus Van Pelt panted for breath, his hands supporting him by pressing hard against his knees. His scarf, formerly the blanket he'd carry around as a child, was wrapped loosely around his neck, sweat moistening its faded blue cotton. He hadn't run that fast since he accidentally called his sister fat and even then, he had stayed the whole weekend at Charlie Brown's house, despite his annoying little sister who, even after all these years, referred to him by that stupid nickname.

"Fish cannot survive in a stagnant pond," said a voice that Linus faintly recognized. No longer gasping for air, he stood up to see Hiro-Blue regarding him calmly, his pipe hanging loosely in his hands.

"Hiro?" gasped Linus, looking more at the pipe than at the younger boy. "You know smoking kills, right?"

Hiro-Blue nodded in agreement, "Quite so. This pipe is merely for show, be assured of that." He regarded Linus carefully, looking as aloof as usual. "So tell me, my friend, what kind of bargain did you make with the devil?"

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The possessed Charlie Brown sat down at a bench; sighing and gazing forlornly out at the river that led out towards the bay. A bottle of water was held out before him and he looked up and saw that it was being offered by none other than Tifa. She scowled at him, speaking softly but still containing her usual harsh tone. "This isn't for you; it's for Brown-san. He's not as used to fighting as you are."

Charlie-Purple wordlessly accepted the bottle and took a swig from it. Tifa wasn't exactly sure just what had gotten the Imagin controlling the boy so depressed having only heard the tail-end of the one-sided shouting match between him and some girl with blue-forelocks.

"I don't get you!" she suddenly exclaimed, tired of his attitude, or lack thereof. "Imagins always act selfishly in order to grant their contract holder's wish, and they don't care who they hurt to do it! So why are you so depressed?!"

"I cannot speak for the others," sighed Charlie-Purple, leaning back against the bench. "But… He wished to prove himself strong for himself and for others. I just wanted to grant that wish. There is nothing more to it than that. I was lending him my strength and since we both sought strength, ours would have been the greatest between body and mind."

"So you destroyed those sports teams out of enthusiasm?" asked Tifa.

Charlie-Purple shook his head. "I challenge one on one to those I know possess true strength but some did challenge me as a group." He shook his head, taking a sip of his drink. "Such dishonorable tactics."

Tifa frowned, leaning forward from her side of the bench. "Why are you acting like such a good guy?! You're an Imagin for god's sake! Your goal is to try and change the past isn't it?!"

"Eh?" Charlie-Purple blinked, looking slightly surprised. "I had forgotten about that."

"That can't be…" whispered Tifa, staring at the possessed boy in pure disbelief.

"You really do hate my kind," said Charlie-Purple, "and I do not blame you for it but tell me, what have I done to you to earn that hatred?" She didn't answer, she couldn't answer.

"Charlie Brown! Charlie Brown!" Linus Van Pelt suddenly arrived onto the scene, out of breath once again and about ready to collapse as he stood before the startled Charlie-Purple. "That goodness, you're okay!" A small flash of purple light and Charlie Brown was once again in control. Tifa looked past the older boy and saw Hiro slowly approaching, staying back to allow the two to talk in private, and ran over to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"He's the contract holder of that Giant Imagin," explained Hiro," and Leviathan was talking to him but… he wanted to see Brown-sempai."

"I'm sorry, Charlie Brown, I'm so sorry. It's just, Lucy's been on my case so much, those stupid jocks still teasing me about my blanket, when I wished to be left alone, I never thought that, that monster would just show up to grant it and I most certainly didn't mean for it to attack you! You're my best friend Charlie Brown…"

The ground shook in the familiar pattern of footsteps before the hulking Giant Imagin stomped onto the scene, glaring down at his contract holder and his intended prey. "Your wish will be granted."

"No!" Linus stood before Charlie Brown, arms spread wide but the giant monster merely backhanded him aside, sending him flying. A purple aura surrounded Charlie Brown as his own Imagin took control.

"Don't you lay a finger on my contract holder's friend!" Though he was still incredibly strong and scored quite a few powerful hits upon the Giant Imagin, the monster still was able to backhand him just as easily as Linus and saw it satisfactory. It kneeled down before Linus' unconscious body, speaking in its grating voice, "Your wish has been granted," before puling the boy apart and revealing a sickly green void, the passageway to the past, and departed into it.

The Beast Imagin burst forth from Charlie Brown's body, carefully lifting him up and placing him on the bench with a large hand as Hiro and Tifa raced back onto the scene. "Hold on, Brown-sempai! You've got to be alright, you've still not taught me the old schmuckle ball!"

Charlie Brown weakly opened his eyes, looking first at Hiro to Linus and then, finally, the Beast Imagin. "I really did feel strong, in my dreams." He smiled slightly. "Kind of clumsier too." The Beast Imagin looked to the side, the scales around his muzzle darkening. Charlie Brown chuckled. "But I've never felt tougher than just now, thank you." The boy held up his hand to the Imagin, who merely stared down at him in a long silence.

"Contract complete." The Beast Imagin stated, cracking his neck with a paw before peeling Charlie Brown apart and disappearing into the past.

"What was that?!" screamed Tifa at the now unconscious Charlie Brown. "An Imagin is still an Imagin, just as I thought!"

Hiro looked between Charlie Brown and Linus, pulling out a blank Slot Ticket and holding it over Linus' head. The image of the Giant Imagin appeared on the card alongside the date of October 2, 2002. Placing the ticket into the GF-Pass, Hiro looked to Tifa and watched as she did the same for Charlie Brown. "Well, when did he go?"

"October 2, 2002." She stated. Hiro blinked in surprise.

"The same date?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_October 2, 2002_

Linus sighed in irritation. Never mind that he'd have to spend another year dealing with his sister and her never-ending crabbiness, he'd likely have to deal with the occasional jibe and teasing aimed at his blanket-turned-scarf, of that he had no doubt.

Of course, distracted as he was with his thoughts, Linus never saw the person walking right in front of him until he nearly bowled him over. "Ack, I'm sorry about that I—" Linus abruptly halted his apology, staring at the slightly older boy in front of him. He had a short brown goatee and absolutely nothing else for hair on his head and he wore a frightfully familiar yellow shirt etched with a black zigzag around its torso. "Charlie Brown?"

"Linus?" The boy asked in turn, blinking in surprise.

"It IS you!" Linus laughed, playfully hitting the older boy on the shoulder. "It's been what, two years? When did you get back in town?"

"Yesterday. I was going to try looking you up after school," chuckled Charlie Brown.

Linus laughed once again, shaking his head. "Good old Charlie Brown…" He suddenly came to a frightful realization. "What, if you're here than that means—"

"My Sweet Baboo!" A blonde-haired girl a year younger than Linus suddenly tackled him in a glomp, smiling brightly. "I knew our love could never be denied!"

"Oh… joy…" Linus deadpanned, trying to push her off but her grip remained firm. Despite himself, Charlie Brown chuckled at the scene. If there was anyone he'd trust with his little sister, it'd be Linus if only because Linus couldn't stand her affections.

"Well, well. If it isn't old blockheaded Charlie Brown."

The boy suddenly felt the same sense of dread as he best friend and turned to see none other than his best friend's older sister, Lucy looking at him with an evil smirk on her face.

In another part of town, bird and dog were reunited once again.

"I see some things haven't changed at all, have they?" Lucy shook her head at the antics of Charlie Brown's little sister and called out to her own younger sibling. "Hey, doofus! Try to clean yourself off better, huh? Unless you want to look like you're related to Pigpen?"

"Huh?" Was all Linus got to say before the sand pouring from his back exploded forth, flying through the air and condensing together to form the monstrous Giant Imagin. The gigantic monster bellowed in happiness and grinned at the obvious fear of the screaming students, but its beady eyes fell upon one that it was familiar with. It chuckled darkly and Sally clung even tighter to Linus, who stood raggedly from the transport.

"Looks like I get to beat twice, littling!" It roared, suddenly snapping Linus out of his stupor. With little hesitation, the boy swept Sally off her feet and took off running with Charlie Brown and Lucy following close behind. Upon seeing the bald-headed youth, the Giant Imagin's smile grew wider. A perfect opportunity to get rid of the competition…

With a loud battle cry, it sent forth its chained anchor, which flew through the air with great speed despite its size. It tore into the ground sending chunks of cement and dirt flying. Charlie Brown was fortunate enough to have outrun the barrage and Linus, though weighed down by Sally, had managed to get out of range as well. Lucy on the other hand… She was hit hard in the back, knocking her completely off her feet and causing her to skid painfully along the ground. Charlie Brown skidded to a halt, turning and staring in horror at the injured girl.

"Lucy!" he shouted, racing over and kneeling beside. "Lucy, are you alright?"

"Charlie Brown…?" she whispered, painfully opening her eyes and looking up to see the concern radiating from the bald-headed youth's face. She smiled, despite the current situation. "Guess you're not so wishy-washy after all, eh Blockhead?"

"How touching," came the grumbling voice of the Giant Imagin, twirling his weapon. "But I'm afraid this is… the end!" The monster let the heavy weapon fly and Charlie Brown pushed himself between the monster and Lucy, ready for the blow to hit only to feel a strange sense of weakness as sand exploded from his body that condensed together to form the Beast Imagin.

The purple-scaled monster caught the weapon in his fanged mouth before hurling it back and watching in smug satisfaction as it slammed into the Giant Imagin's face. He turned his horned head to look down at the stunned pair of humans beneath him. "Take your lady out of here and get someplace safe! I shall take care of this cur!"

Charlie Brown nodded weakly, feeling as though he could trust this monster. He quickly scooped Lucy up into his arms and took off as the Beast Imagin watched them go. The monster-like Imagin felt a strange twinge in his body and despite knowing what that meant; he took once more to battle against the Giant Imagin.

Before their battle could begin, there came the sound of a train's whistle before the Eido-Liner appeared on the scene just long enough to drop off its two passengers; Tifa and Guardian Force Fist Form. The Red Fire Rider cracked his knuckles.

"Ore… sanjou!"

The Giant Imagin grunted in disdain. "Then I'll just make you tanjou right here!" It leapt surprisingly high, twirling in place before letting loose its weapon. G-Force FF rolled to the side, dodging the anchor as it flew past and slammed through the wall of the school. The curved edge of the anchor caught on one of the school's supporting pillars and though it was surprised, the Giant Imagin tore its weapon loose from the school, taking the pillar along with it before continuing with its decidedly one-sided match-up against Guardian Force FF.

Tifa meanwhile was just starting her task of finding the Beast Imagin when said monster did the job for her, rushing quickly over to the school and placing his horns into the wall, holding up the second floor as students and teachers alike fled for the lives from the building before it collapsed upon them.

The Giant Imagin saw the Beast Imagin's predicament and grinned before stomping its massive foot down hard upon the ground. The last of the civilians had just fled the scene as the attack impacted against the school and sending its south side wall down upon the Beast Imagin, who roared in fury though less loudly than Guardian Force FF.

"That's a dirty attack, you bastard!" howled the Red Fire Rider as he leapt at the beast, flames burning brightly along the Ali Shar. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_" Once again, the attack proved to be nothing more than an annoyance to the large Imagin.

Tifa raced over to the Beast Imagin, denying whatever concern she felt for the monstrous creature, and watched in shock as the color faded from his body as it became sand yet it still retained its large shape. The Beast Imagin groaned, his head falling to the ground as the pieces of the school pushed heavily upon his back and hind legs. He grit his teeth and pushed himself up just enough to look past the debris towards where he had last seen the civilians running. "Is everyone alright?"

Tifa spared a glance. "They're safe." The Beast Imagin sighed in relief, settling down on the ground. Tifa kneeled down beside his head, looking directly into his eyes. "But why?" The Beast Imagin didn't need her to clarify, he knew what she meant.

"I just wanted to grant his wish." The Beast Imagin smiled knowingly. "His real wish was for her to respect him as he has always respected her. Even with my incredible strength, that was a wish I could not grant, but with his own strength, he's earned it and more. He no longer has a reason to make a contract with me."

"So… you're just going to disappear?" she whispered, still heard despite the loud sounds of battle between Rider and Imagin.

"It can not be helped," he sighed as sand slowly started to fall from his body.

Though he was focused entirely on the fight, inside of Guardian Force FF, Hiro was not so and had taken notice of the Beast Imagin's state. _"Ifrit, he's disappearing! Isn't there something we can do?!"_

Though busy using both hands against the Giant Imagin's one, G-Force FF still answered in his usual gruff way, "Focus on the here and now, Baka-teme!"

Tifa glared down at the Beast Imagin's face, her eyes strangely wet at his simple resignation of his fate. "Wait. You can't disappear!"

The Beast Imagin sighed, such troublesome people he was constantly dealing with… "Do not ask for the improbable."

"That's not good enough!" she yelled loudly, startling the Imagin who now stared at her in confusion.

"Why? Do you not hate me for what I am?"

Tifa flinched, glaring still at the dying Imagin. "Yes… Yes, I really do hate Imagin!" She looked to the side, tears falling from her eyes. "Because of monsters like you changing the flow of time, my time, my entire world, is gone! Because of Imagin, my time is completely destroyed!" She turned once more to glare with anger at the Beast Imagin. "That's why you Imagin should all just disappear!"

Guardian Force FF looked towards Tifa, having heard her words, before resuming his battle once more. The Beast Imagin simply stared at her in silence, waiting for her to continue which she did with a vengeance.

"But I said wait!" she screamed as more sand began to fall from the monster's body. "Wait, damn you!"

The Beast Imagin sighed, "There is nothing to be done."

_"Uhhh…"_ Hiro didn't know if the Beast Imagin could hear him like this, but if Ifrit and Leviathan could… _"Why don't you make a contract with me?"_

Guardian Force FF's arms ignited in a neon burst of blue fire, pushing him back from the Giant Imagin as he roared, "WHAT?!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Leviathan had been taking a sip of his coffee when he heard Hiro's words and did a marvelously large spit take that was more water than coffee before gaining control of himself enough to add his own reaction.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_October 2, 2002_

Behemoth lifted his head up, shocked by Hiro's offer.

_"You'll survive if you enter me, right?"_ asked the boy from with Guardian Force FF, who acted none too pleased with Hiro's sudden offer.

"What the hell, Baka-teme?! It's a full house in here already!"

"What are you blathering about?" grunted the Giant Imagin, strangely incapable of hearing Hiro's voice. The large monster pressed the attack, forcing G-Force FF to the defense, something he liked less than the possibility of sharing Hiro's body with another Imagin.

"Him?" whispered the Beast Imagin, wondering at the offer when Tifa's fist suddenly slammed into his snout, causing several large cracks to appear. He shook his head, dizzy from the attack on his dying body. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know!" screamed Tifa, hysterical with grief and rage.

"Damn it," grunted G-Force FF, struggling against the Giant Imagin's anchor as it pressed down on him. Fire burst on the Ali Shar and moved along the chain of the Imagin's weapon to strike the monster dead-on in the face, startling it more than hurting it. "Get over here already, Ram-boy! Or would you rather be destroyed by that flatchested brat?!"

"Flatchest?" The Beast Imagin looked at Tifa in confusion, or more specifically at her chest thus earning a scream of rage from the girl and another, more powerful punch to the face. Fortunately, the Beast Imagin had made his choice and had immediately burst into a purple colored orb of light that shot straight itself straight into Guardian Force, causing Ifrit to shoot out in his own energy form and send Giant Imagin stumbling back once again as the armor converted to Knight Form.

_"Are you truly okay with this, Youngling?"_ asked the Beast Imagin.

_"I'm sure that we can fight together."_ Hiro replied, a smile in his voice.

Guardian Force nodded, holding up the GF-Pass and waving it over the DiscLoader Buckle just after he pressed the purple button.

"HAMMER FORM!"

A tune rather like drums sounded as G-Force's armor broke off, spinning wildly in place before reattaching itself once again, vibrantly different than before. Whereas Fist Form was built for basic combat and Rod Form for agility on land and sea, Hammer Form was decidedly different from them both.

The royal purple armor was hulking huge, shaped more like muscle-mass than anything else with a pair of iron handcuffs adorning the wrists. A pair of red webbed fins jutted out from the shoulders, further adding to the size of Guardian Force. The helmet slid down to reveal a shape similar to a grizzly bear as a pair of horns curved forward from the skull with the points aimed down past the jaw. A mane of spiky yellow hair grew out from the back of the helmet and fell down to the base of the Rider's spine. Guardian Force HF cracked his neck, holding out a clawed fist above the ground which trembled and shook before a massive hammer burst forth from the ground and into the Purple Earth Rider's hands.

"My strength has made you cry," announced Guardian Force HF, twirling his war hammer, the Tarasque, as though it weighed as much as a feather.

"Who's crying?!" roared the Giant Imagin, stomping forward, its anchor raised for a downward strike. The weapon was not only intercepted by G-Force HF's Tarasque, it was shattered into pieces. The massive Imagin stared at what remained of his weapon in shock just before G-Force HF leapt upward, slamming his hammer underneath the Giant Imagin's jaw and knocking the beast flat on its back.

"_Fullmetal Slam._" Guardian Force HF spoke gruffly.

_"Eh? You say it afterwards?"_ questioned Hiro. The Rider smiled beneath his helmet and pulled out the GF-Pass and waving it over the DiscLoader Buckle.

"FULL CHARGE." Purple-tinted energy arced from the belt like lightning into the base of the Tarasque's hilt. G-Force HF held the weapon before him, the hammer just below his chin, and slowly began to raise it upwards as the earth began to tremble and shake with the Rider's struggle to raise his weapon. Suddenly, G-Force HF raised the Tarasque high just as a piece of condensed stone shot upwards into the air. The Purple Earth Rider brought the war hammer down in a massive strike, causing a fissure of energy to shoot out towards the Giant Imagin as the chunk of earth fell from the atmosphere. Even in the deafening explosion, Guardian Force HF's voice was still heard as he named his attack.

"_Meteor._" Guardian Force HF stood up straight, giving his neck a crack before turning to walk over towards the stunned Tifa only to hear a familiar beastial roar.

An explosion of sand and light and the Giant Imagin was fully gone, changed into a DeathGigas that made a whole new meaning of "size matters". The berserker still retained its humanoid shape but was easily sixty feet tall and looked more beastial than manlike save for its face which was missing its lower jaw.

_"Holy—We need to call the Eido-Liner!"_ yelled Hiro, shocked at how huge the DeathGigas was.

"Eido-Liner?" intoned G-Force HF just as the train itself burst onto the scene, again pulled by a whole new car with both the Leonhart and Strife being pulled behind. The lead car looked remarkably like the Beast Imagin save for a more bull-like face and horns longer in length than the original. The Tidus gave a loud bellow as G-Force HF boarded it and sent it forth to attack the Gigantic DeathGigas.

The berserker bellowed loudly, literally taking the bull by the horns and struggling to push the train back when G-Force HF pressed a button aboard the Chocobo, opening six hatches along each side of the Tidus and reveal several devices shaped like insect legs and armed with large spiked clubs. The Tidus suddenly lifted itself up high, hurling the Gigantic DeathGigas into the air. The train followed close behind, ramming the berserker hard in the stomach as energy burned brightly in the horns of the car as the weapons of the train cars unleashed their payload at the beast.

Just when one would think no more damage could be done, especially now that the Tidus had pushed the Gigantic DeathGigas above the atmosphere, the train gave a hard U-turn and pushed itself downwards, faster than ever before with the DeathGigas being used as a heat shield. The sound barrier broke once, twice, three times, before the Tidus pulled away, leaving the monster to slam into ocean with unbelievable force, shattering its body into dust.

From the sandy bay, a figure dressed in a smart business suit spared a glance at its pocket watch and, smiling in satisfaction, walked away, disappearing into the shadows just as the waves hit the shore.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Damn, it's getting crowded in here." Ifrit grumbled from his usual seat, shooting a sour glare at the Beast Imagin, who still towered over the other two Imagin yet was able to fit comfortably inside the dining car with little problem. Just the way the Eido-Liner was, the Hellhound Imagin assumed, though he didn't have to like it. "I wonder if there's less air in here?"

Leviathan sighed, breathing a cloud of steam from his pipe as he regarded their new comrade-in-arms. "Ssstill, what a ssstrange shape… What kind of image is he?"

Yuffie-chan frowned cutely, rubbing her chin before suddenly smiling brightly. "Behemoth! He's all big and cuddly like a bear, so… Behe-chan!"

Ifrit laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Well said, Yuffie." She held out her fingers in the shape of V-for-Victory as the Hellhound Imagin punched the newly-named Beast Imagin in the shoulder. "Hey, Ram-boy! You're Behemoth."

Behemoth regarded Ifrit in silence before turning and walking over to where Tifa sat and took a seat across from her, somehow fitting in the bench. "Tifa. Your passionate screams made me cry." The girl stared at him for a long moment before punching soundly on the nose. Behemoth barely flinched but he took the hint and moved to what would be his own usual table as Hiro sat at the bar, looking at Tifa.

_"Yes… Yes, I really do hate Imagin!" She looked to the side, tears falling from her eyes. "Because of monsters like you changing the flow of time, my time, my entire world, is gone! Because of Imagin, my time is completely destroyed!" She turned once more to glare with anger at the Beast Imagin. "That's why you Imagin should all just disappear!"_

"Because she is a Singularity Point," whispered the Conductor, suddenly sitting beside Hiro, startling the boy, "she exists no matter the changes made in time. She is immune to the destruction caused by the Imagin." He looked Hiro straight in the eye. "Just like you."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"J.D.? J.D. are you in here?"

CLANG. "Sonofa—!!"

'_Yep, he is…_' Nicole headed deeper into the basement of her shared home and stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the monolithic device encompassing most of the room. "J.D.?"

"Nico, bout time, I could really use a light down over here." Came the older boy's voice from somewhere beneath the machine. Nicole nodded and started to search for a flashlight but stopped and shot a glare in the direction of J.D.'s snickering. "Gotcha again didn't I? Come on, admit it!"

Nicole didn't dare encourage him. "Is this it?" she asked.

"Well," said J.D., pulling himself out from beneath the machine, oil and grease decorating his clothes and sun bleached hair. "According to what portions of the plans that Young had on him when we made the trip here… and of course, those plans being several decades out-of-date and ahead at the same time while also missing a few key components… I think so. Won't know until we try it, really."

Nicole looked at the machine wearily, as though afraid of it suddenly lashing out at her. "And there will be no side-effects? To us or the victims?"

"The whole things been recalibrated so it shouldn't so much as twinge a hair on our heads. As for the victims themselves… well these kaijin—"

"Imagin, J.D., they're called Imagin." Nicole said with no small portion of exaggeration in her voice.

The tanned youth spared her a scowl before continuing. "Right, right, these Imagin are of a whole different make than what we're used to so I can't say for sure what will happen to them. The people they inhabit though should be fine. Might be exhausted from the strain but otherwise, perfectly normal."

"… Can it be used?"

J.D. looked down at her, his dark eyes narrowing. "Are you asking for eventually or now?"

"You know what I'm asking, J.D.!" she yelled at the boy, standing on the tip of her toes to better glare into his eyes. "Can we use it now or not?"

J.D. poked her in the forehead, pushing her back down. "Yes it can. Why?"

"I… I just want my best friend back." Was all that Nicole said before she raced back upstairs, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. J.D. sighed, shaking his head as he slowly followed after her, snapping his fingers as he went.

The lights went out.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

**

* * *

**

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Leviathan:_ Thingsss have gotten crowded around here but at leassst the chancesss of another Imagin joining us is ssslim to none. Oh my, spoke to sssoon! Hiro's body been hijacked by another Imagin, and thisss time, it's not me or the othersss and none of us can break thisss new one out! Who is thisss new Imagin and want doesss he want with Hiro? The sea of mysteriesss continuesss to escalate, doesn't it?

_The Fourth Stage; The Shining Light_


	7. The Fourth Stage

Me: Alright, everyone ready? And a one and a two...

Muses, Camille, & Me:

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes  
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear  
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes  
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?  
In Daylights - In Sunsets  
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee  
In Inches - In Miles  
In Laughter - In Strife

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand  
Six Hundred Minutes  
How Do You Measure  
A Year In The Life?

How About Love?  
How About Love?  
How About Love?  
Measure In Love

Seasons of Love.  
Seasons of Love.

Me: Happy Holidays, everybody!

Camille: (Whispering) You know you're early right?

Me: Never to early to spread the cheer, my dear heart.

Bahamut: So I can have my presents now?

Me: Let me think... Nope!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Fourth Stage; The Shining Light_

"Come on, hurry up Hiro!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" The foreign youth skated faster, struggling to keep up with Nicole who somehow managed to stay a few steps ahead of him, literally. "How can you run so fast?!" he gasped, almost wanting one of his Imagin friends to take over.

Nicole's inverted eyes grew glassy from a distant memory. "It's a gift!" she called back to him a moment later.

_"Gift, smift."_ Ifrit said, _"YAWN… Why does she want to hang out so late in the night?"_

'_This is the first time either of us can get together without any problems. Her… family… is kind of overprotective of her._'

_"Oh? It seemsss that older one, Adam wassss it, likesss you well enough."_ Leviathan hissed.

'_Adam knows Nico can take care of herself. Besides, it's not Adam that I'm worried about…_' Hiro shivered slightly and called out to Nicole, "Are you sure Mr. Young isn't going to be there?"

"For the last time, yes!" Nicole laughed, despite herself. "Honestly, the way you go on, I'd think you were afraid of him!"

"I'm not afraid!"

"Buck-buck! Hiro's a chicken!" she crowed.

'_It's a healthy state of caution, thank-you-very-much!_'

_"She's right, you are a chicken,"_ grunted Ifrit.

_"Heed him not, Youngling. His gruff exterior hides a kind heart."_ Behemoth intoned.

_"Kind hearted my ass!"_ roared Ifrit, making Hiro laugh despite his close proximity to Nicole, who stared back at him, a frown across her face. Just another portion of evidence pointing to how desperately they needed to help him. Well, they being herself and J.D. as Adam had yet to be informed of the device's completion and Jason was trying to discover the truth behind Guardian Force.

How ironic it is that very truth was not five feet from her, no?

In the last two weeks, Nicole had noticed a larger change in Hiro aside from his random disappearances whenever one of the Imagins started attacking. Whenever there was a pretty girl in the vicinity, Hiro would be a suave charmer, seemingly incapable of failing to hook in a girl. During times when Uriah or one of the other punks at the Institute would try and give him trouble, Hiro would act as badly as them before soundly kicking their butts to such a degree, they were too embarrassed to admit who did the kicking. Then, just lately, Hiro had started acting even stranger whenever anyone mentioned crying or tears, especially if one were talking about making someone cry.

It wasn't just one or two, now it was possibly three and Nicole sincerely hoped that J.D.'s revised version of that machine could do the trick and finally rid Hiro of the Imagin plaguing him.

Once and for all.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit yawned, scratching at his left ear with a large clawed hand. "I'll never understand that idiot."

Leviathan chuckled, taking a long drag from his pipe before adding his own two cents, "He is sssimply using what ssspare time he hassss, Sempai. Though it isss a shame he cannot become more… involved with thisss beauty of the sea."

"The ties of friendship are weakening," said Behemoth, half-asleep at his table. He yawned, revealing several sharp fangs. "His must strengthen them to an appropriate toughness lest they break from the strain."

Ifrit turned and stared at the Beast Imagin for a long moment. "What?"

Leviathan sighed, shaking his head as he made himself comfortable for the night. "Behe-san thinksss Hiro-kun's friendship with Nicole isss becoming ssstrained with hissss dutiesss as Guardian Force and that he mussst strengthen that friendship in order for it to sssurvive."

Ifrit snorted a puff of smoke, "Whatever, just hope the idiot doesn't get his butt kicked by a girl, that's all my reputation needs."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiro sighed, falling into the recliner chair like a heavy sack as his sore muscles screamed their joy. He opened an amber eye to look at Nicole in disbelief. "You should… join the track team… Nico…"

"Humph, it'd be too easy for me." Hiro blinked at the girl's strange tone and looked up at her in concern.

"Nico? Is something the matter?" he asked.

She stared at him, to the floor, to Hiro again. "Hiro, I need you to be completely honest with me about something."

Hiro immediately tensed up, already feeling the instinct to rely on Leviathan's lying skills. "About what?"

"Are you carrying… an Imagin inside of you?"

Hiro stared at her in shock, surprise, and horror mixed into an undeniable cohesiveness before he took a long breath of air and let it out slowly. He looked up into her eyes, amber meeting burnt orange. "No."

"I see…" Nicole sighed a strange blend of disappointment and fear. "Then I guess all there's left to say… is that I'm sorry, Hiro. I hope you can forgive me."

Hiro didn't have a chance to respond as he felt a sudden sharp jolt of pain at his neck before he collapsed into the black oblivion of unconsciousness.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Snort, ruff…" Ifrit yawned, scratching at his nose before he pulled his crimson blanket tighter over his form.

"Hss! Hsshsshsss…" Leviathan giggled, his snake-tongue wavering in the air as his dreams of perverted glee continued.

"Hrrmmmm," Behemoth's chest rumbled, the muscles on his arms tensing before relaxing, his tail twitching now and again.

Asleep as they all were, none of the Imagin had reacted to Hiro's blackout, something that all three would come to regret before the day was out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You didn't have to hit him so hard, J.D.!" yelled Nicole as she carefully strapped Hiro down in a specially made chair beneath the Machine located in the basement of her shared home.

"Oh pardon me," came the tanned boy's sarcastic reply. "I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't go psycho-Imagin on me in the house, that's all!" There was a loud clanging sound followed shortly by J.D.'s exclamation of pain. "Damn it! Where the hell is Adam, he should have been home by now!"

"It doesn't matter, you know he doesn't agree with us on this," said Nicole, securing the last strap. "We need to get those Imagin out of Hiro as soon as possible, so we're not waiting for him." She looked at the Asian youth's face, her face neutral, before she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "This is for your own good, Hiro. Please, believe that." Whether these words were for herself or for the boy in question, one could not tell.

"Are you done over there or what?" called J.D.

"Coming," said Nicole, disappearing and reappearing beside J.D., a trail of dust in her wake and a pair of goggles already over her eyes. J.D. spared her a tired glare.

"I thought we agreed no speeding in the house?"

"Young agreed." She said, "Not me. Just start the machine will you?"

Upstairs, the front door opened and Adam stepped into the foyer, shivering slightly from the oncoming cold of winter. He shed his coat and hat, calling that he was home when he felt the house begin to tremble. He panicked for a brief moment before recalling the Machine in the basement. He sighed in exasperation, knowing that J.D. and Nicole must have discovered someone with an Imagin and was testing the Machine on them.

He started walking to the door that led to the basement but stopped and backtracked to the living room where Nicole's schoolbag sat beside another's own with a pair of roller-skates clamped upon them. Realizing with stunned horror just who the pair had found, Adam broke the door down with adrenaline-driven strength and raced down the stairs.

"NO!" he roared, "Turn it off, turn that bloody thing off! You two don't realize what ye're doing!" He winced at the bright intensity of the light as he frantically tried to reach the control panel where both J.D. and Nicole were staring at him like he had lost his mind when the absent-colored light of the Machine became a deep ruby-color as parts and gears began to whine alongside the siren blares of the control panel.

There was a brilliant explosion that tore the Machine to pieces alongside most of the ceiling. The three had managed to dodge the blast by ducking down behind and beneath the control panel and were now staring at the smoke at the Machine's epicenter.

"Hiro… HIRO!" screamed Nicole, only to suddenly sigh in relief as the smoke began to clear and a human-shape could be seen in the cloud. Her relief was short-lived as the figure grabbed a floating piece of fabric and tied it tightly to his head. Brilliant turquoise eyes looked up at the three and smiled with childish glee.

"You found me!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit's eyes snapped open. "Hey! What the hell was that?!"

Tifa, who had been reading peacefully with the three Imagin being asleep, looked up in concern. "What is it?"

"I just suddenly lost contact with Hiro!" growled Ifrit, the other two Imagin already awake and alert, their own senses stretching outwards to try and find the boy that was their contract holder.

"What?!" yelled Tifa, slapping her book down. "Are you absolutely sure? Maybe he's just shutting you three out."

Leviathan shook his head, his fins standing on end. "No… it isssn't like that. It'sss like…"

Behemoth grunted, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. "Hiro's disappeared!"

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The sun had just finished setting past the horizon line and, alone at last, Maximum felt at peace with the surrounding landscape of Heatherfield Park, despite the supposed dangers presented by the monsters. She held firm in her belief that she could take care of hers and herself, no matter the problem but, at times, she just needed to get away from it all. Don't get her wrong, she loved her family like they were her blood but the sad thing was that, aside from the two youngest, none of the "Flock" as they called themselves were actually related. She supposed this was a good thing otherwise she'd likely go mad with the feelings she so loved to deny in context to a certain shadowed member of the group.

Still… her thoughts went back to the really problem. Being orphans and having escaped from the so called orphanage, the Flock was homeless and had no place to stay and with winter approaching fast, Max thought it likely they'd have to soon hitchhiking towards the south, but as large as her family was, she doubted they'd manage it unnoticed.

It was getting especially worse now as the park had become their home the summer and fall's past, the trees their home and the fountains their source of meager income. With the constant monster attacks lately though, what few people who traversed the park had taken to travelling in groups. Groups that were quick to spot a group of homeless children making the park their refuge from their horrible life at the School Orphanage.

Max looked skyward, and smiled at the sight of a shooting star. "I wish…" She sighed, shaking her head. What was the use of saying the words if she knew it would never come true? She walked away, back towards where the others would be waiting for her, never seeing the wings made of sand stretching outwards from her back as they gained corporeal form.

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Tifa stared in shock at the destruction that littered the hallways of Nicole's home, slowly following the trail into the basement where she found three, semi-conscious forms nearly buried by the debris of what had once been a monstrous Machine. "Are you guys alright?" she called, carefully climbing down the stairs one step at time lest they collapse under her feet.

Adam groaned, pushing himself to his knees before he cracked his back with a painful twist. "Ach… We will be fine, Lass."

"Fine?" whispered J.D. "Fine?! Take a look around, Adam! The Machine's toast and soon our butts will be too! Young is going to kill us!"

"Who cares about what Jason will do?!" screamed Nicole, startling them all. "Hiro is out there with another Imagin inside of him!"

Tifa blinked in surprise. "You know about the Imagin?"

Nicole glared at the girl she had frequently seen with Hiro. "I'm his best friend; it wasn't that hard to notice!"

"Ye have no one to blame but yourself for this, Nicole." Adam stated calmly. "Thanks to you and J.D., Guardian Force might now be in the hands of an evil Imagin."

Tifa looked suddenly nervous at the older boy while Nicole just glared at him. "What does that Kamen Rider have to do with this?!"

Adam sighed, shaking his head. "When it was simply one, I was able to figure it out. With three, it should have been easy for ye, Nicole." He looked her straight in the eye. "Hiro is Guardian Force."

The bluenette stared at the copper-haired boy. "No… You, you're lying! He can't be! Hiro can't be a Kamen Rider!" she yelled, tears falling down her eyes. "Oh, god…"

Tifa had, by now, made a hasty exit, the same fear stronger in her than in Adam of Hiro, not G-Force, being controlled by an evil Imagin. It was too bad that she had left so quickly, for, had she waited, she would have heard J.D. exclaim with obvious venom at Adam. "That boy, that same one you let into our home?! He's one of us?!"

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It was dawn, and still Hiro had not been found. Tifa was beside herself with worry that she didn't feel the least bit tired from spending most of the night searching for the boy. Her cell phone suddenly rang in the familiar tune of the Eido-Liner and she hastily picked it up.

"Hello? The Ima-tachi still haven't found Hiro?" she sighed tiredly. "Alright, thank you, Yuffie-chan." She closed her phone just as a familiar sandy form appeared before her.

"Yo."

"Ifrit!" exclaimed Tifa, startled by the Imagin's sudden appearance.

"It's no good," growled the Hellhound Imagin, angry at himself and the situation with Hiro. "That brat's been all over the damn city and I can't separate which are fresher scents. I've never been so cut off from that Baka-teme like this before, either. I couldn't tell you if he were awake or asleep."

"His… A witness said that he'd been taken over by an evil spirit," lied Tifa, covering up just how Hiro had been taken over. "I don't believe it though…"

"Oy, oy! Don't tell me he went and got another one!" exclaimed Ifrit. "This kind of shit ain't funny! Damn it, no more Imagin! I'm tired of sharing his body as it is!"

Back when she had first met the Hellhound Imagin, Tifa would have readily believed him to be as selfish as he sounded but now… Now she heard the concern hidden beneath his gruff exterior. "At any rate, we've got to try and find Hiro."

Ifrit nodded before suddenly stiffening, the hairs on his mane stiffening. "Wait! I smell Imagin!"

Tifa turned to retort that Ifrit was likely smelling himself when a green form blurred past her, slicing the ground alongside her and turning the Hellhound Imagin into ordinary sand, his form destroyed from the winds. The brunette slowed backed away as the Imagin hovered in the air before her, its emerald wings flashing in the early sunlight.

It was shaped like a female humanoid, with birdlike feathers serving to clothe her and keep her somewhat decent. Her skin was pale like fine porcelain while the feathers that served as her hair and clothes were a vibrant emerald hue. She had two-taloned feet and three-taloned claws, all razor sharp, and the feathers of her wings looked to be just as deadly and given that her wingspan altogether was nearly twelve feet, she made for a dangerous Imagin.

"If you enter this place, my contract won't be fulfilled," said the Garuda Imagin. Feather-shaped throwing blades appeared in her talons. "I'll have to drive you out."

The Garuda Imagin started towards Tifa, who backed away from the monster avian's approach, but both soon paused at the sound of music in the air as a somewhat childish voice sang alongside the music. "Look out! It's time the world was headin' for a new thing, it's time I got ahead! Get back! Nothin's gonna stop me and I won't quit 'til I'm sittin' on the top! Never give up when the going gets rough, I know I'm gonna make it through to just try will never be enough. I'll show you there's nothin' I can't do!"

Girl and girl-monster both stared with sweatdrops running down their heads as a teenaged boy danced along the sidewalk nearest them. The Garuda Imagin's eyes narrowed at the familiar stench of Imagin but wondered at the oddity of this one while Tifa gasped in shock as she recognized the boy.

Hiro.

He was still dressed in his usual clothes but had somehow gained a lengthy black bandanna with the kanji for "Jewel" written in a bright green color. His hair was far more tamed than it usually was, especially when either Ifrit or Behemoth were in control, and had a turquoise colored streak running down the length of his ponytail, which was now twice as long as normal. Hiro-Green blinked his glowing turquoise eyes in surprise, first at the Imagin, then Tifa, to the damage done by said Imagin.

The possessed Singularity Point's eyes narrowed at the broken birdhouse where smashed eggs could be seen amongst the debris. He pointed at it, the music suddenly cutting out. "Did you do that?" he asked the Garuda Imagin who merely snorted in annoyance.

"Who are you?" she asked in turn.

"Who am I…?" repeated Hiro-Green, sounding strangely lost before he grinned, his emerald eyes angry. "Well, I'm angry."

The Garuda Imagin sighed, shaking her head. "I don't have time to play with little chicks that think to fly before they've the feathers for it."

"It's alright!" grinned Hiro-Green, the GF-Belt appearing on his waist. "I'm able to fly on my own!" He pressed the green button that lay beneath Hammer Form's purple button, changing the color of the DiscLoader Buckle to a shining turquoise before he waved the GF-Pass over it. "Start it up!"

"START GAME! DISC FORM!" Cue the familiar transformation sequence into an entirely unfamiliar form. Like Rod Form, this new form of Guardian Force looked to be built more for speed than for strength with the armor itself matching the color of Hiro-Green's eyes. A pair of golden wing like attachments were at the shoulders of the armor and the gloves ended in purple-tinted claws. The helmet was shaped like a strange blend between mouse and rabbit with earlike apparatuses jutting out from the side of the skull. Attached to the forehead of the helmet was a shining ruby roughly the size of a tennis ball.

Guardian Force DF snapped his fingers and his weapon of choice appeared in a flash of brilliant light in his hands. Named the HueHue, it resembled a bladed disc often used by a warrior princess but was colored gold and covered with eight different gemstones, all glowing with their own inner light.

"OY!" Ifrit appeared in a burst of sand by the stunned Tifa's side. It was hard to tell who was more shocked between the two of them but it was quite easy to tell who was the angriest. "What the hell is that?!"

"It can't be…" whispered Tifa. Contrary to what Hiro assumed, the girl knew very little about the Guardian Force armor and how it worked. Truth be told, it wasn't until Leviathan that Tifa had come to realize that it was powered by the Imagin in control of the Singularity Point, which is… Hiro himself. However, she had assumed that the transformation had to be recognized by Hiro, at the very least.

"Mind if I beat you now?" asked G-Force DF, his voice still sounding quite childish. "I don't hear an answer!"

"So you're Guardian Force…" murmured the Garuda Imagin, taking bladed feathers in hand once again as she ignored the Gemstone Rider's childish antics. "Your form is different from what I've been told." She advanced slowly upon him, her wings spread to takeoff into the sky if it needed to.

"Blah, blah! Too much blabberin'!" G-Force DF yelled, racing forward and hurling the HueHue, which was dodged with great ease by the Garuda Imagin, who spared a moment too long to laugh at the poor shot as she soon got a face full of "_Poison Nail!_"

G-Force DF dodged her return strike and rolled out of the way as the HueHue returned from its ricochet and impacted painfully against the back of the avian monster's head. The Garuda Imagin rocketed into the air, shrieking like a harpy as she used a bladed feather to see her reflection.

"My face! My beautiful face! You've scratched it!" Whatever poison the Rider had injected into her was obviously be fought against via pure feminine anger as the Garuda Imagin dived down, attack with a flurry of punches and kicks that were easily dodged by the Gemstone Rider. The avian monster suddenly leapt back, launching several of her feathers at Guardian Force DF, who was too close to dodge. Instead, he bowed his head ever so slightly and called out, "_Ruby Light!_" The ruby atop his forehead suddenly flashed brightly just before a faint reddish orb surrounded Guardian Force DF.

Upon impacting the shell, the Garuda Imagin's feathers did a complete turnaround and launched themselves with equal speed back at her. The monster shrieked in a rage as she used her wings as shields against the piercing blades before flying higher above Guardian Force DF, cursing and barrel-rolling out of the way as the HueHue was suddenly launched after her. The bladed disc ricocheted about the park, causing more damage in the span of a few minutes than the Garuda Imagin had in a single night in its efforts to drive people out of the park.

"Stop it!" yelled Tifa, fearlessly running up to stand just outside Guardian Force DF's shield. "If you keep this up, the park will be destroyed!"

"Oh, right." G-Force DF nodded sheepishly, snapping his fingers and cancelling the spell around his form as well as calling the HueHue back to him. He looked upwards towards the sky and saw that the Garuda Imagin had long since vanished from sight. He sighed, somewhat sadly, and looked down at the broken birdhouse by his feet and squatted down to stare at it. "I broke the bird's nest didn't I?" he asked, more to himself than to Tifa who just stared at him in mounting confusion.

"Just who are you?" The Gemstone Rider looked at her, then around the empty park before looking back at Tifa and pointing to himself.

"Who? Me?" The sand-bodied Ifrit skidded to Tifa's side, nostrils flaring and his mane standing on end.

"Don't play dumb with us, brat!" growled the Hellhound Imagin. "You're inside MY contract holder and I want you out of there! Now!" Ifrit charged with a beastial roar and was easily kicked into sandy oblivion once again.

"Sorry, but I have somethin' I need ta do." Guardian Force DF stated calmly.

"Something you need to do?" said Tifa.

"Yeppers." The Gemstone Rider nodded. "I have ta defeat Hiro; it's why I possessed 'im."

"What?!" Ifrit was back once again and this time, he wasn't alone. To his left was the sand-bodied form of Leviathan while Behemoth towered over them both despite his own sand-defined stature on Ifrit's right.

"Ah, everyone's here." G-Force DF was obviously not afraid of the three Imagin, what with the trio being in their sand-bodied forms instead of flesh and blood.

"I won't let you harm my contract holder." Behemoth stated with a crack of his neck.

"I'm going to have to asssk you to leave," said Leviathan, looking calm despite the seriousness of the situation.

"I can't. Okay?" G-Force DF sounded almost bored with them, which didn't help the situation any in concern to a certain Hellhound Imagin.

"Shut up! We don't know if you can or can't 'till we try!" growled Ifrit, almost looking as though he'd burst into flames right there.

"For now, we'll have to drive you out ourselvessss," said Leviathan, pointing his pipe at the Kamen Rider.

"Let's go!" roared Ifrit, leading the charge of Imagins upon the Kamen Rider. Before impacting against him, the three Imagin burst into colored lights that swirled around Guardian Force DF in a sandy tornado before they were all blown away from the light of the gemstone on the Rider's forehead. Nodding to himself, G-Force DF cancelled out the transformation and reverted back to being Hiro-Green and started walking off when Tifa, who had been staring in shock at the Imagin's power, quickly stood in his way.

"Hiro! Hiro, you've got to wake up!" Tifa yelled more at the boy's chest than to his face and winced when the possessed boy tightly grabbed her wrist and twisted it.

"He can't hear ya. He's in a very deep place right now."

_"Guess again!"_

"Or maybe not!" Hiro-Green blinked in surprise.

_"Get out of me!"_ yelled Hiro.

"No! It's my turn!"

"_It's my body!"_

"It's… still my… turn…!" whined Hiro-Green, obviously fighting against Hiro. "Meanie!"

Had he full control, Hiro would have blinked in surprise, but as he hadn't, he focused all the more on driving the Imagin out. _"Oh, that's it! GET OUT!"_ roared Hiro before an orb of shining light shot out of the boy's body and Hiro regained control. The Asian youth collapsed to his knees panting for breath as Tifa hastily kneeled down beside him, helping to support him.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit and the other Imagin were licking their wounds, more literal in the case of the Hellhound Imagin despite Yuffie-chan's protests, when a shining orb of light exploded above them before the miniscule form of the new Imagin fell to the floor with a small bounce in his step. The Imagin was small, almost unbelievably so what with its whole stature being two feet tall, excluding the ears of course. Colored a bright shade of jade, the little monster looked like an equal blend between rabbit and cat with a cat's body, head, and tail but with a rabbit's ears and limbs. Marking the chibi Imagin's head was a large triangular ruby that shined brightly with inner light. A golden collar bedecked with wing like prongs and decorated with seven other crystals adorned the Imagin's neck. Like its fur, the creature's eyes, though childlike and innocent, were of the same shade.

"Wowie!" he squeaked, sounding rather like a chipmunk. "I didn' know 'iro could do t'at!"

"You?" Ifrit stood to his feet, towering over the Mini Imagin. "You're the one that's caused all this trouble." He looked towards Yuffie-chan. "He's a midget." The Eido-Liner waitress nodded in agreement, just seconds away from gushing at how cute the Mini Imagin was as Ifrit glared down at him. "You're a midget!" Said midget did not look to happy with the name, further adding to his cuteness, at least to Yuffie-chan.

"Ssstill, for one sssso young," hissed Leviathan, leaning over and looking straight down at the jade-furred Imagin. "It isss rather impressive, no?"

"Indeed," agreed Behemoth, cracking his neck back into proper alignment. "An excellent display of strength."

"What the hell, you two?!" yelled Ifrit, "Have you forgotten all the damn trouble this little shit caused!? Who knows what kind of trouble he'll start here?!"

"Oh, I can't stand it anymore!" Yuffie-chan suddenly yelled, speeding past the three and shoving Ifrit aside as she hugged the Mini Imagin tightly. "You're so cute!"

Ifrit groaned, sporting a new bruise on his head as Leviathan hissed in amusement. "He weildsss a mossst formidable power indeed, Sempai."

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" groaned the Hellhound Imagin.

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Behemoth:_ Yosh! Another Imagin to join our pride of strength! Though he is small in stature, Chibi has a great deal of power in the magic arts, more than he even realizes, or so it seems. But strength of body, or magic as is the case, is not enough! He is too much a child to act responsible for his actions. As a great warrior said, with great power must come great responsibility!

_The Sparkling Rainbow; Joy in the Gemstones' Light_


	8. The Sparkling Rainbow

Me: Happy New Year everyone!

Muses: Happy New Year.

Bahamut: What year is this anyway?

Mewtwo: The Year of the Ox of Yin Earth.

Poupoko: (That's cool, I guess.)

Me: Not as cool as kicking Soul Edge behind as Darth Freaking Vader!

Bahamut: (Sweatdrops) I told Camille not to get him that game....

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Sparkling Rainbow; Joy in the Gemstones' Light_

Hiro suppressed the urge to groan as he slowly sat down at his usual table in the dining car of the Eido-Liner. Tifa carefully placed a blanket over him as Yuffie-chan placed a cup of her special blend of coffee on the table in front of him. He nodded his thanks and sighed, almost ready to fall asleep would the situation allow for it.

"Oy, oy, Baka-teme!" Ifrit sat down in front of Hiro, scowling mightily as usual. "What are we going to do with the brat!?"

The Mini Imagin, who had been looking through Yuffie-chan's playing card deck looked up and yelled, "I'm not a brat!"

"Oh you're right, sorry," sarcasmed Ifrit. "What I meant was to call you a Chibi-Brat!" The Mini Imagin growled cutely, the fur on his tail puffing out as the Hellhound Imagin rose from his seat to stalk the smaller monster. "You said you're here to get the idiot Singularity Point. What do you mean by that?!" Ifrit grabbed the Mini Imagin by the scruff of his neck. "Just what the hell are you, Chibi-Brat?!"

"Chu!" The Mini Imagin slashed at Ifrit, not really cutting him but startling the older Imagin enough to drop him long enough to get away only to end up in the massive paw of Behemoth who was indeed large enough to hold the young monster in a single hand with ease.

"Your strength in repelling me belies you true power, so I have no qualm with breaking your strength." Behemoth rumbled.

Ifrit nodded, flames sparking at his mouth at the idea. "Yeah! Break him, Ram-boy!"

"He who fishesss quickly losesss more than he gainsss," hissed Leviathan, snatching the jade-furred Imagin from Behemoth's paw and placing him down at an empty table. "I for one want a few detailsss anssswered."

The three Imagin moved to stand around the Mini Imagin, cutting off any possible chances of getting past and entering Hiro's body once again when Tifa pushed herself between them and the intruder. "Stop it, all three of you! You know you can't fight-oof!" The Mini Imagin didn't waste his chance. He ricocheted off the wall and, using Tifa's head as a springboard, managed to jump completely over Ifrit, swatting at the Hellhound Imagin's face with his tail, and landing on the same table as before and once again resumed looking through Yuffie-chan's cards.

"You little bastard… underestimating me…" growled Ifrit, smoke pouring from his fang-lined snout. Though not too happy with the new Imagin herself, Tifa shoved Ifrit back and sat down in front of the Mini Imagin.

"When did you possess, Hiro?" she asked. The Mini Imagin looked up at her then towards the ceiling obviously in thought.

"Chu, I t'ink…" He turned a pointed a catlike paw at Leviathan. "When t'at steam-guy possessed him." Leviathan's head shot up in surprise, nearly hitting the ceiling as the Mini Imagin continued, "Since we did it t'gether, no one noticed. Chu!"

"Hssss…. You usssed me assss camouflage?!" hissed Leviathan, his webbed fins standing on end.

"Smart little bastard," grumbled Ifrit to himself.

"You've been inside of me that long?" asked Hiro, not completely well-rested but awake enough. "But why wait…?"

The Mini Imagin shrugged. "I was sleepy so I took a nap…"

"Mighty long nap," grumbled Behemoth, ignoring the looks he was getting from Leviathan and Ifrit.

"What are you after? Guardian Force?" questioned Tifa, having seen the amount of damage Disc Form had done for herself and no knowing it to be in the hands of a child no less!

"I dunno," squeaked the Mini Imagin. "Somet'in told me in my head." He looked up towards the other three. "Aren't we all like t'at, chu?"

The humans aboard the dining car blinked in surprise at this bit of news, Tifa and Hiro looking at the other three Imagin while Yuffie-chan continued with her work on cleaning the bar. "Is that true?" asked Hiro.

"Well… there isss that…" murmured Leviathan, placing his pipe in his mouth and taking a few puffs, obviously not up to talking about it, nor did Ifrit and Behemoth look any different on the matter.

"I was told I could be the 'ductor for the Eido-Liner if I defeat 'iro! Chu, chu, chu!" The Mini Imagin giggled, flipping through more cards. "T'at would be so kewl! Chu!"

"Who?!" Ifrit slammed his fist down on the table, pushing his snout against the Mini Imagin's. "Who told you that, Chibi-brat!?"

The Mini Imagin scowled, holding up a card at flicking it at Ifrit's eyes. "Chu! I 'ready said I don' know! And I'm not a brat! I'm…" He looked down at the cards in his hand, his jade-colored eyes widening before a childish smile lit up on his muzzle and he bounced over Ifrit to land before Hiro. "I'm Carbuncle!" he crowed, holding up a monster card that did bear a striking resemblance to the Mini Imagin.

Behemoth's eyes narrowed as he snorted. He had enough of the youngling Imagin's games. "Chibi," he intoned, rising to his hind legs and cracking his neck. "I think it is high time for your punishment." Neither Ifrit nor Leviathan disagreed and moved close to Carbuncle when Hiro suddenly spoke.

"Wait." Carbuncle turned to Hiro, his ears twitching as the teenage boy leaned forward to better look into the smaller Imagin's eyes. "If you've been inside of me for so long… why didn't you wake up until now?"

The other three Imagin along with Tifa looked uncomfortable and didn't allow their eyes to fall upon Hiro for fear of him turning his question towards them. It was obvious that the boy was not aware of just how Carbuncle had awoken inside of him.

"Well… chu… it's really nice possessin' Hiro…" Carbuncle laid down on his stomach and started to purr as a memory played in his head while the others in the dining car looked confused. Hiro felt a sweatdrop rolling down his head, thinking perhaps it was better for him not to know.

"I see… well um… I hate to tell you this, but… even if you do beat me you won't become conductor of Eido-Liner."

"Chu?!" Carbuncle sat up, surprised.

"You see, I'm not the conductor…"

"I am." Everyone save for Yuffie-chan jumped in surprise and turned to see the Conductor standing on the opposite end of the dining car, looking none too pleased. "Causing another uproar are we?" The Imagin immediately resumed doing what they assumed would make them appear innocent. Even Carbuncle, who had never seen the well-aged man until then, buried himself in Hiro's blanket before finding a comfortable spot around the boy's neck. Boring though it might be, Carbuncle would pretend to be a scarf if it got the scary man to stop looking at him like that.

"Conductor, this Imagin here," Tifa pointed at the Mini Imagin, who hid his face behind his large, fluffy tail. "Hiro hasn't shared his pass with him, so please! Please force him off Eido-Liner!"

"I've a ticket! Chu!" chirped Carbuncle, his face still hidden as he twisted his tail sharply to reveal a ticket with his image on it, already stamped for "Infinity and Beyond". The Conductor took a few steps forward, looking down upon the small piece of paper, earning a shiver from the Mini Imagin, before turning back to the group at large.

"As long as he has a ticket," spoke the Conductor, "he is a passenger on Eido-Liner, and as long as you don't cause trouble I have no problem with you staying here. That is My Rule." Without another word, the aged Conductor walked away, his cane lightly thumping against the ground until he disappeared into the next car.

Carbuncle shivered from nose to tail and looked up at Hiro. "He's scary, chu…"

"You've no idea…" grumbled Ifrit.

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The Garuda Imagin cursed as she flew upwards, gripping the police vehicle tightly in her talons. Humans were such fools! Here she was purposely attacking them to keep them out of the park and what do they do? The young ones, those between the age of child and adult, come in flocks to see if the rumors were true, and the older ones came thinking they have power enough to stop her! She entertained the thought of slaying them but she was no fool of a chick. Humans tended to react rather strongly to the deaths of their fellows and it'd serve the opposite of her contract holder's wish of having the park to her flock.

So if her strength wasn't enough, she'd keep the humans out of the park by less dangerous means. Every entryway into the park both above and below the ground was blocked by heaps of trash, stolen vehicles both large and small, virtually anything and everything that wasn't strongly held down was used to create a barrier to the park. The Garuda Imagin smirked and let the police car drop from her claws and watched as it crunched atop the last barrier. Now nothing short of an avian could enter the park.

All that was left was to find her contract holder.

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Tifa sometimes wondered just how she put up with Hiro. He was everything she wasn't and couldn't allow herself to be and a part of her hated him deeply for it and yet… Hiro was the one always willing to forgive, to trust the good in anyone, human or Imagin, but more than that… when he looked at her, Tifa didn't see pity in his eyes. What it was she honestly didn't know until a quiet, late-night conversation with Yuffie had finally opened her own eyes.

_"You're right, Tifa-chan. I know for sure there's not an ounce of pity in Hiro-kun's eyes when he looks at you. Rather… I think it's something more like… admiration."_

Admiration and hero-complex aside, that didn't mean that Tifa had to like Hiro's decision to allow Carbuncle to stay in his body while the Ima-tachi stewed back on the Eido-Liner. Just because the Mini-Imagin wanted to play with real hands… One would think he'd learn from Leviathan but obviously that wasn't the case. '_Then again…_' she sighed, glancing out the corner of her eye at the childish face of Hiro-Green. '_Better that he stays distracted with… Carbuncle. As long as he's distracted, maybe he won't remember what happened with his friend._'

A small voice in the back of her mind spoke vindictively, promising that the boy would either remember in time or soon to be confronted by so-called best friend at the earliest opportunity. Wasn't it her duty as his friend to warn him of what had occurred? How his secret was a complete secret anymore?

"Maxi?" Tifa suddenly looked back at Hiro, seeing him in full control, and followed his eyes to a teenage girl possibly a year or so older than them staring in horror at the massive junk pile that stood before the entrance to the park. Tifa could swear that the girl's shoulder-length blonde hair bristled like feathers of an angry hawk as she turned to glare and yell at Hiro.

"It's Max, god-damn—" She cut herself off, blinking rapidly in surprise as a pink flush spread on her face. "Hiro?"

There was no more time for words as a loud screech was heard from above before the familiarly deadly form of the Garuda Imagin landed atop the junk pile, sending forth a huge cloud of dust. She spared Hiro a single glare before turning avian eyes upon Max. "Your wish has been granted. The contract is complete." With an elegant bow, the she-monster dove down at the girl, tearing her into two equal halves with a swirling portal between them in which she disappeared. The two halves came together and Maximum fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Hiro and Tifa quickly ran to the girls side, Hiro helping her stay upright while Tifa held up a Slot Ticket to the girl's head and watched as the Garuda Imagin's image appeared on it alongside a date; April 19, 2005. She held the card in front of Max's face. "What happened on this date?" she asked.

Max looked at it dully, still reeling from the effects of the Imagin's transport. Her eyes narrowed and she glared down in disgust. "That's the day we escaped… from the School."

"The what—?" Hiro cut Tifa off with an unnaturally hard look.

"Carbuncle?" he whispered.

_"Yes?"_

"Can you let Ifrit assume control please?"

_"Aw, but I don' wanna! It's still my turn, chu!"_

"… I'll give you a cookie." A burst of neon green light shot out from Hiro's body before that same light appeared once more, pushing a red colored light along before disappearing from sight as Ifrit assumed control. "Start it up!"

"START GAME! FIST FORM!" The hellhound-styled armor of the crimson Guardian Force Fist Form appeared in all its burning glory as the Crimson Fire Rider cracked the knuckles of his gauntlets.

"I live for this shit!"

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_April 19, 2005_

Max panted for air, looking back over her shoulder as the rest of the kids followed close behind, stumbling in the shadows of the back alleys. It was taking them too long for them to get out of the city and no doubt the police had already been notified of their disappearance from the School's Orphanage for the Gifted. She couldn't help but snort at that. Gifted was a very loose term when it was applied to her and her Flock. An anti-social guy who spoke no more than a few words per week, a blind pyromaniac, an intestinally challenged mini-pyromaniac, a chatterbox, and a mini-pyro's little sister. Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Monique, and Angel. Her friends, her family, her responsibility.

She stumbled, feeling a sudden weakness in her legs as she collapsed, sand exploded from her body to take form as the Garuda Imagin. The rest of the Flock skidded to a halt behind their collapsed leader, the blind Iggy nearly plowing into Fang, who glared at the monster that hovered in the air above Max. The Garuda Imagin spared them a vicious sneer before flying out into the bustling city streets, sending panicked civilians running as they screamed for their lives from the avian monster.

The hawk like eyes of the Garuda Imagin suddenly caught the form of the one person standing calmly amidst the panicked crowd. Dressed in a smart business suit and idly glancing at the large pocket watch in her hands, the woman spared the Garuda Imagin a glance before resuming her vigil over her watch. The avian monster grinned, taking several sharp feathers in claw and preparing to throw when a birdlike shriek ripped through the air shortly before a large taloned foot used her head as a springboard.

The Garuda Imagin was slammed face first into the ground as Guardian Force's steed, the Chocobo, landed before it, thrilling angrily, feathers spread out to make it appear larger than it really was. Neither Rider nor steed took notice of the woman slowly walking away from the scene. G-Force FF dismounted from the Chocobo and patted the bird's neck, sending it over towards the downed Flock as the Garuda Imagin slowly pushed herself up to her feet, feathers quivering in a feminine rage.

"You… have interfered with my business for the last time, Rider!"

"Oh, just shut up!" yelled G-Force FF; fire surrounded the Ali Shar gauntlets. "It's been too damn long since I had a chance to fight like this!"

"Since you insist on getting in my way…" The Garuda Imagin pulled out a pair of long flight feathers, turning them into sharpened blades of steel in her talons.

"It's a hobby!" crowed Guardian Force FF as he charged forward, arms blazing. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_" He delivered a sharp uppercut to the monster's chin, sending her flying before she took control and zoomed down towards him, slashing at the Rider as she flew past. The Crimson Fire Rider was forced on the defensive as he rolled and dodged every attack the Garuda Imagin threw at him, growing angrier by the minute.

"Oy! Get your pasty-ass down here, harpy-bitch!" roared G-Force FF, "Don't make me come up there—!" He cut himself short as an emerald glow suddenly entered his body. _"The hell you doing, runt?!"_

_"If we don' hurry, Maxi and da others will get caught, chu!"_ said Carbuncle, taking control and waving the GF-Pass over the DiscLoader Buckle's now green-tinted surface. "DISC FORM!" The crimson armor of Fist Form broke off, spinning wildly in place before snapping back on in the new, jade-colored armor of Disc Form. G-Force DF snapped his fingers, calling the bladed ring, HueHue to his hands.

He twirled the weapon idly on one finger as he stared up at the Garuda Imagin. "Mind if I say, 'bye-bye birdie'? Can't hear you! _Poison Nail!_" Purple light colored the HueHue before G-Force DF sent the weapon flying through the air towards the Garuda Imagin.

"Are you mad?!" shrieked the avian monster, diving down under the attack, distracted by the devastation caused by it that she never saw G-Force DF's next move.

The shining ruby atop his helmeted brow changed form to that of a glimmering sapphire in a vibrant brilliance. "_Sapphire Light!_"

"WHAT?!" the Garuda Imagin shrieked in a feral rage as lightning suddenly arced around the HueHue and Guardian Force DF, who raced beneath the flying monster at twice his normal speed as the crystal atop his brow morphed to a clear diamond.

"_Diamond Light!_" And Rider and weapon vanished from sight and sound. The Garuda Imagin paused in midair, slowing circling over the abandoned street before a sudden shocking impact against her back sent her down towards the ground. Dirt and dust exploded upwards with the aid of lightning shocking the air as Guardian Force DF returned from his transparency. The Garuda Imagin coughed, feathers either severely damaged or missing altogether, as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Time to say bye-bye!" The HueHue appeared before the Gemstone Rider, hovering at head level as he waved the GF-Pass over the DiscLoader Buckle.

"FULL CHARGE." Rainbow-colored lightning arced from the belt to the bladed chakram as it began to spin faster and faster while the gem adorning G-Force DF's forehead began flashing through eight distinct forms before the light in the transforming gem exploded with solar intensity. "_Rainbow Overdrive!_"

The Garuda Imagin screamed in pain as the light forever blinded her eyes. The HueHue shot forward in that following instant, eight colored blades sprouting like leaves along its sharpened outer edge. The Garuda Imagin's head went flying before it and its body exploded in a flaming display of destruction. G-Force DF did a small twirl, catching the HueHue on a finger pointing towards the sky. "That's game!" The Gemstone Rider paused and looked skyward as plumes of sand shot to the clouds, condensing together to form a DeathGigas.

With the body and head of a twisted evil human and the limbs of a robotic eagle, the Harpy DeathGigas shrieked loudly, its blinded eyes looking vacantly into the clouds around it before it suddenly glared downwards. The berserker's mouth pulled back into a hateful sneer, revealing several iron-sharp fangs.

The Chocobo screeched an eagle's cry as it burst forth from the alleyway, pushing its avian head underneath Guardian Force DF and flipping the Rider over onto its back as it raced down the street, dodging the egg-shaped bombardments from the Harpy Imagin.

"I have a train too, right?" asked G-Force DF, seemingly uncaring of the devastation fast approaching from behind.

_"I don't know, maybe!"_ answered Hiro, wishing the Chocobo would go faster. A sudden familiar tune sounded in the air as Carbuncle's wish came true with the appearance of the new train, Tribal. The train was shaped rather similarly to the Mini Imagin with larger golden wings stretching from the front and even had a shining ruby resting on the engine's "forehead". The gemstone itself was roughly the size of a large beach ball and shined with its own inner brilliance.

"That's mine." G-Force DF sounded positively delighted by the train as the Chocobo increased speed towards the train.

Following the appearance of the jade-colored Tribal were the other trains; the burning red Leonhart, the oceanic blue Strife, and the thick-bodied Tidus. The trains interlocked together with the Tribal at the fore as the Chocobo jumped aboard, shifting forms in midair to that of an admittedly ornate motorcycle. A compartment slid open, allowing Rider and Chocobo into the cockpit of the Tribal as it spun upwards towards the Harpy DeathGigas. The shining diamond on Guardian Force DF's brow morphed to a ruby as he called forth, "_Ruby Light!_" Both his and the Tribal's gem flashed brightly as a large translucent shield surrounded the trains.

The Harpy DeathGigas did not see the magic nor could it comprehend the words. All that mattered to it was destroying the Rider and the Eido-Liner once and for all! Shrieking a banshee's cry, the berserker fired a barrage of egg-bombs at the fast approaching train only for her attacks to reflect off the ruby-tinted shield and back towards her. Explosions rocked the DeathGigas nearly out of the air as G-Force DF unleashed the payload of the Leonhart and Strife upon it. Burning hot fire and near frozen water slammed into the avian monster, sending it screaming into the cloud line where it exploded in a sandy brilliance.

Guardian Force DF smiled beneath his helmet before his eyes fell down towards the shadowed alleyway where he knew the Flock had been watching.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"You damn brat! How dare you use my Leonhart!"

"'s not yours, Doggy!"

"Well I don't damn well see your name on it!"

Hiro sighed, rubbing at his forehead as Ifrit and Carbuncle argued in the background. Tifa slid down into the seat across from him, her resolve now completely firm. She'd tell him the truth, whole and complete. "Hiro—"

"Has changed the flow of time." The Conductor was suddenly there, standing beside the table looking down at the amber-eyed youth with a hardened glare in his own eyes that he turned over towards Carbuncle, whose fur stood on end from the man's scrutiny. "Or was it without his consent?"

"No, it was me," said Hiro. "Don't blame it on Carbuncle. I… I wanted to do it…"

The Conductor looked once more to the boy. "… You told the Maximum Ride of the past to go to Heatherfield, a place she would have ended up only in this last year. Because of your advice, she and her family have not only arrived early, but have been adopted ironically enough by Ms. Ride's own mother."

"Doc Martinez! Yay, more cookies fo' me, chu!" Carbuncle started purring like he had before as Hiro stared at the Mini Imagin in surprise. Dr. Martinez was the local veterinarian as well as being his own next door neighbor. She was childless as far as he knew though he had heard rumors of a past abusive husband…

"Since this change is merely a droplet in a sea, I'll allow it to continue but know this. It is your duty to protect time, not to change it." Conductor gave a small nod of goodbye and left the silent dining car behind.

Once he was gone, Ifrit reached over and plucked Carbuncle off the table to hold the Mini Imagin before his glaring eyes. "Alright brat, out with it. How'd you know that the doc was Max's mother?"

"Hmm? I always knew, 's why I liked makin' a contract wit 'iro, chu!" Carbuncle giggled childishly. "Her cookies are good but Maxi's cookies taste WAAAY better, chu!"

Hiro opened his mouth to speak but immediately clamped it shut as memories suddenly assaulted his mind. Memories he did not have before but suddenly had now, memories of what-had-been to what-is-now and he knew of Carbuncle's joy. So much had changed that it took Hiro several minutes to organize the new information in his mind and with this new load came a memory forgotten.

"Oh gods," he gasped. "Nico…"

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Jason stood before the group of three; his cobalt eyes all but alight with a burning rage, making the scars on his face stand out in a vicious display. "You mean to tell me… that all this time… you've known who this… _Rider_ was and you refused to report it?!"

Adam stood firm, holding a good foot of height and two years over the dark-skinned youth. "Aye, I did."

Jason ignored the blatant amount of disrespect in favor of glaring down at the other two. "And you two idiots thought it a good idea to bring him into our HOME?!"

"Hey, like I knew!" exclaimed J.D. "As far as I knew, he was plagued with an Imagin."

Nicole remained silent, her eyes never leaving the floor.

"What would knowing his true identity do for us, Jason?" asked Adam. "You were the one who wanted nothing more to do with—"

"I remember!" snapped Jason, "In case you've forgotten, with that, that, _pretender_ here, it's likely to attract the rest of them here! None of them are going to be content in sitting back and letting some rouge Rider running about! Especially now that's his appearances are more common-found!"

"So what?" asked J.D.

"So that means that if they come here, they're liable to find us!" roared Jason. "And unless their policies have changed, they're not going to be taking any prisoners especially since you tried to reconstruct the damned VAULT!"

"Yeah, well, I wasn't the one who stabbed them in the back now was I?" growled J.D. "It was your dad that went rouge on them and damned us all!"

"Stop it, the both of you!" shouted Adam, getting between them before a fight could break out in the already damaged house. "There's nothing more we can do about this."

"No," said Jason. "There is something we can do if there's to be any hope of keeping them from finding us.

"We are going to destroy Guardian Force."

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Carbuncle:_ Chu! So pretty… C'mon, ya can ride wit me on the Eido-Liner! 's a really cool train, ya'll like it! Ya can take 'er along for da ride too, 'm sure she'll enjoy it just as much, chu! Hurry up 'fore those creepy knight guys catch up wit ya!

_The Bonus Stage; Ancient Glory_


	9. The Bonus Stage

Me: Guess who's back? Sorry for the delay folks but these next few chapters have been revised all over the place thanks to _someone_ (pointed glare) won't stop changing his role!

Bahamut: Hmph. If you need me, you'll know where I'll be.

Mewtwo: (Watches him leave) Where's Bahamut going?

Me: ... I'll tell ya later.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Bonus Stage; Ancient Glory_

For a long week, Hiro stayed aboard the Eido-Liner, wondering what he could do about the situation he was now in. He had asked the Ima-tachi for ideas but even they didn't know how to go about it.

"I say that we kick her ass!" growled Ifrit, fire sparking along his mane. "If it wasn't for her stupid machine, the Chibi-Brat would still be asleep!"

"If she knew you had usss and kept it a sssecret, why should she care if you're a Kamen Rider?" hissed Leviathan, breathing from his steaming pipe. "She isss your friend, I am sssure she will underssstand."

"You are strong my little friend." Behemoth intoned, cracking his neck. "But the strength of your mutual friendship is greater. Things will turn out all right."

"Who?" chirped Carbuncle, scratching at an errant itch in his ear. "I don't see w'at da problem is, can't we go play?"

"No, no we can't." Hiro sighed, feeling the need to rub his forehead in exasperation. The Mini-Imagin pouted and returned once more to his grooming, knowing that there'd be no arguments from Hiro or the other Imagin, come nightfall.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Hiro groaned, feeling as though he had been running a marathon which was quite odd as he hadn't done much outside of being cooped up inside the Eido-Liner. With a few muttered words of Japanese, the youth opened his amber eyes and gasped at what he saw. He was still in the Eido-Liner, this he knew instantly from the familiar windows and walls, but this was not the passenger car he shared with the other Imagin during the 'night'. It was likely an unused car for it only contained a few sparse pieces of furniture lying about but what really had Hiro gaping like a fish were the vast arrays of precious metals and stones glittering about on the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

Rubies, diamonds… all kinds of gems glittered from the single light the illuminated the center of the room where a long lounge sofa could be seen with a seemingly empty crib beside it. There was the sound of a flute being played but there was no such instrument in the room though the player was there, reclining along the sofa with a long sinuous tail dangling over the crib, earning childish sounds from within. The figure's head rose and Hiro felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head.

"Oh… my…"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit entered the dining car with a large yawn. "Coffee." It wasn't a request nor was it a question, it was an outright demand. No coffee makes a dangerous Hellhound Imagin. The three cups, plus one juice-pack for Carbuncle, were already sitting and waiting for him on the counter. He took his cup and drained it one large gulp before licking it clean of its crimson frosting. "Damn good stuff…"

Leviathan slithered in behind Ifrit, grabbing his cup as he went, his webbed feet slightly dragging behind him as he gave a nod of greetings to the two girls. "Asss alwayssss, Yuffie-chan." Leviathan sighed, taking a long drink and licking the frosting from his whiskers before taking out his pipe and began to puff away, clouds of colored steam floating about his head.

Behemoth lumbered in after the other two, the space of the dining car seemingly no different as his large form entered it with his head bowed low to the ground as he walked on all fours. Stopping beside the counter, the Beast Imagin yawned loudly as he pushed himself to stand upright, loud cracks emanating from his back. He took the cup and took a small sip, sighing at the wondrous flavor. "My thanks, Miss Yuffie."

Carbuncle hopped in, his eyes barely open and his tail dragging along behind him. He collided into the other three Imagin, even trying to futilely push against Behemoth before the larger monster took pity on the young Imagin and carried him to the counter where he eagerly took a drink from his juice-pack. "Mmmm… orange-juice… Chu!"

Ifrit ignored the younger Imagin until a sudden thought came to mind and he gave Carbuncle a suspicious glare. "Where the hell were you sleeping?"

"Chu?" Carbuncle looked up, suddenly awake. "In the 'ssenger car…"

"Then why," said Leviathan, sharing Ifrit's suspicions, "did you come in from the opposite door?"

"Uh… I got lost, chu?"

Yuffie frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "Carbu-chan, good boys don't tell lies. Didn't you say you were a good boy?"

"I am! I did!" Carbuncle nodded, his ears tilting down in guilt. "Chu…"

"What have you been doing little one?" asked Behemoth. Of the three older Imagin, Carbuncle was most open with him.

"Stuff… findin' pretty stuff, chu."

"Oh god," Tifa palmed her face. "Don't tell me…"

"Have you been going out at night with Hiro-kun?" Yuffie looked remarkably stern, which earned another guilty nod from the Mini Imagin.

"Alright, Brat." Ifrit growled, picking Carbuncle up by the scruff of his neck. "Where is Baka-teme and your hoard?"

"'s not mine and 'iro's in t'ere wit' 'im, chu!" Carbuncle pointed with his paw back the way he came. Ifrit, Leviathan, and Behemoth exchanged looks before marching over towards the door with Yuffie and Tifa walking in behind them. Everyone gasped save of course for Carbuncle who knew about the denizens of the so-called empty train car.

The Imagin stood a towering eight feet in height though he was reclined along the sofa. Colored a shining ivory, the Imagin resembled a humanoid dragon with a pair of horns curving back along his draconic head. His eyes shined a brilliant blue accented by the golden outlines of his scales. A long sinuous tail curled in the air measured twice his height. Instead of a single pair of wings there were three. The two smaller pair, one above and one below, were slightly smaller than the middle pair, measuring a mere ten feet while the larger measured over sixteen.

Hiro looked up from the floor from which he was kneeling. "Ah, hey guys…"

"Hey guys?" repeated Ifrit in disbelief. "What the hell, Baka-teme! Who da hell is this?!"

"How rude," spoke the Dragon Imagin, rising from the couch to stand before them, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. "Show your manners when you are before me."

"An Imagin?!" gasped Tifa in surprise.

"And a baby!" chirped Carbuncle, pointing at the crib where the babe currently rested asleep. Tifa glared down at the Mini Imagin in womanly fury, sending the youngling scampering up along Behemoth to hide in the larger Imagin's mane. Carbuncle had seen Tifa take her rage out on Ifrit before and he wasn't foolish enough to allow her an easy target.

The Dragon Imagin moved to the crib and gently picked up the babe within. "The servant over there…"

"Eh?" Hiro pointed at himself from where he now stood beside Tifa. The Dragon Imagin turned to look and shook his head.

"Not you." He pointed at Tifa. "That one."

"Me?" said Tifa, stunned before rage set in. "Servant?!" Hiro and the Imagin shushed her, waving at the baby and Tifa set a lid on her anger, choosing to glare at the Dragon Imagin as he walked over to her. Yuffie-chan stood beside her, cooing at the baby though she was still asleep.

"I assign you to be the babysitter for my daughter. It's an important duty that you should be grateful for." The Dragon Imagin spoke with such regality that, for a moment, Tifa honestly believed him to the king he acted like. Carefully taking the baby from the Imagin, the brunette nodded her ascent, her distrusting eyes never leaving the draconic monster as he went more to the couch.

Leviathan stepped forward, careful to place the baby between him and the Dragon Imagin. "Jussst who are you to claim fatherhood of this child?"

"My name is Bahamut. You may call me King, I don't mind." Bahamut intoned. "And her name is Alicen, but you will refer to her as Princess. That is an order."

"Um, pardon me, Bahamut-sama…" spoke Hiro, "but did you… make a contract with… the Princess?"

"I did, but it was not of my choice. Besides, for me to possess a babe would be a disgrace to the both of us." He looked Hiro up and down. "You will do nicely though." Before anyone had a chance to speak, Bahamut exploded into a shining orb of light that entered into Hiro's body. Hiro's hair lengthened to fall down to his ankles, a shining white strip falling along its length to match the brilliant blue of his eyes. Tifa and Yuffie both gasped in shock while the Ima-tachi had a slightly different reaction.

"Pretty, chu!" Carbuncle clapped his hands.

"What?" Behemoth stood to his hind legs.

"No way!" Leviathan's flippers spread out along his head in shock.

"What the hell have you done?!" roared Ifrit, flaming sparks running along his hands before he raced forward to wrestle control from Bahamut only to phase completely through the possessed Hiro-White and fall flat on his face. Hiro-White moved to the sofa and sat down, using Ifrit as a footstool.

"Try and not be so disgraceful."

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Many would have given the strange man a second glance from the noise he made as he walked but really, most of the citizens in Heatherfield were too wrapped up both in their own lives and the near daily threat of monsters attacking to really notice an overly dressed man. Well not too overdressed as the winter season was approaching but had they looked beneath the wide-brimmed fedora and past the high collars of his red trenchcoat, they'd have seen the golden mask set in firm neutrality admidst the garb of the shadow warrior.

A cell phone vibrated in the man's pocket and he answered it crisply. "This best be good news. … You've not caught up to it! What am I paying you idiots for if you can't find a god-forsaken dragon?! … Listen well, pion. My wife has yet to be informed of the situation at hand and until there is no other choice it will remain as such do you understand?" The phone was crushed in his hand. Beneath his masked visage, a dark light shined. The masked man looked skyward.

Sand started to pour from his sleeves.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"C'mon, lemme hold 'er, chu!" Carbuncle held his little paws up towards Tifa, who was still holding the baby girl though now with less reluctance in her posture.

"You're barely bigger than her, Carbu-chan," said Yuffie-chan, holding a rattle up to Alicen, earning the baby's full attention.

"Chu, stingy…"

Ifrit glared at the opposite end of the dining car where Hiro-White was sitting drinking from an ornate cup filled with an herbal tea that tickled the Hellhound Imagin's nose. "Damn it… Hey, Chibi-Brat, get over here!" Ifrit reached over and plucked Carbuncle off the table, glaring into the Mini-Imagin's emerald eyes. "Go and drive him out!" Ifrit hurled Carbuncle through the air at Hiro-White only to witness the same effect fall upon the Mini Imagin.

"Hey! Why can't I enter 'iro!?" exclaimed Carbuncle, hopping up to stand atop the headrest of the chair opposite Hiro-White.

"Damn it!" cursed Ifrit. "It didn't work!"

"To be ssstrong enough to keep out, Carbuncle with sssuch eassse…" hissed Leviathan. "Jusst who isss thisss guy?"

"Alright!" Behemoth pushed the two aside with a single push. "I'll force him out!"

"Wait!" exclaimed Tifa, stopping the Beast Imagin. She turned to Yuffie and handed the baby to her. "Yuffie-chan, watch the girl."

"Okay!" Tifa sweat dropped at Yuffie's eager tone.

"For now we have to get him to tell us the situation." Tifa sat down opposite of Hiro-White with Carbuncle bouncing away to rest atop Behemoth's head. "We have to return Alicen to her mother!"

"Well said," said Hiro-White, placing the teacup down on its plate. "A baby needs its mother."

"What?" Tifa whispered, surprised that the Imagin agreed so quickly with her. "You want to return her? Just now, you said you possessed her, so basically… you made a contract with her?"

"I didn't. Not by my own choosing. It was my Princess' mother whom I desired to make a contract with. I say it was little over half-a-year ago now." Hiro-White took another sip from his cup.

"That long ago?!" asked Leviathan, surprised. That had to have been just a month or two before Ifrit's possession of Hiro and the subsequent birth of Guardian Force. "You didn't make a contract?"

"I wanted to but… I cannot remember." Hiro-White sighed, shaking his elegant head.

"You don't remember? You didn't fly to the past?" asked Tifa.

"Why would I need to move? If one such as I is to move then it shall be by my own choice and no one else's. Pleasure comes before business after all." Hiro-White stood and walked back towards "his" car, the rest following close behind. "But during that, I was put into a deep sleep and during that time of slumber…"

"It can't be… you were born with the baby?!" exclaimed Tifa.

"Aww, you little miracle!" cooed Yuffie-chan, rubbing her nose against the babe's, earning a disgusted look from Ifrit, a pleased one from Leviathan, a grunt from Behemoth, and a smile from Carbuncle.

"I have no such recollection. When I awoke, I was in Alicen. I did not know where we were but I did not like the current company so I took my daughter with me and left that place of confusion and anxiety behind. That was when the child there discovered me and led me here." Hiro-White reclined against the sofa. "That is what happened."

The group turned as one to Carbuncle who was busy playing with a hunk of quartz but was quick to notice their disapproving looks, or anger in the case of Ifrit and Tifa, before they turned once more to Hiro-White who was speaking aloud to himself.

"Subjects without a king… I will be your king once more, so do not fret. My daughter's mother is as important to me as she is. Find my daughter's mother that I was once a part of. Go!" Hiro-White pointed out the door. None of them did anything more than stare at the possessed Hiro as though he were mad. "Did you not hear? Red one, Fire-hound, hurry and go."

"Don't summon me by color, bastard!" Ifrit smacked Hiro-White's hand down. "And what do you mean Fire-hound?!"

"Yes. Fire-hound," he pointed at Ifrit, "Water-serpent," to Leviathan, "Mountain-beast," to Behemoth, "and Gemstone-cat," to Carbuncle. "Or is it that you want to be Fire-mongrel?"

"Cut it out, you lizard-bastard!" roared Ifrit ready to beat the smug Imagin's brains in when Leviathan and Behemoth both took a firm grasp of him.

"Sempai, this isss Hiro's body!" exclaimed Leviathan, trying to calm Ifrit down.

"Hurting him means hurting, Hiro!" Behemoth put much of his strength in holding Ifrit back but even he was having trouble keeping the Hellhound Imagin away from the possessed Hiro.

"Yeah, doggy! Calm down, chu!" Carbuncle stood atop Ifrit's head, pulling at his horns and making the situation worse from it.

"I don't like him! Let go!" growled Ifrit

"ENOUGH!" Hiro-White roared, sending the Ima-tachi to fall flat on their behinds and stare up at the possessed youth who was fairly aglow with power. "You dare to talk back to your king? All of you, know your place!"

The four Imagin stared at him for a long, tense moment before Ifrit scoffed. "That's it? That's all you got ta—"

A brilliant flash of light burst from the four in their respected colors before the ornaments they wore glowed brightly with light colored in their respected shades. With an earthquake-like force, the four Imagin slammed painful to the ground. Well, painfully for Ifrit as Leviathan and Behemoth landed on his back while Carbuncle slammed down on top of his head.

"OW! Son of a bitch!" groaned Ifrit. "Get offa me!"

"What the…" murmured Tifa, surprised, and inwardly very pleased, by the sudden reveal of Hiro-White's abilities. "How'd you do that?"

"I'd say he's rather unique." The girl jumped in surprise as she and Yuffie-chan turned to see Conductor standing between them, his mixed eyes looking down at the four Imagin before falling upon Hiro-White who looked at the man with a strange sense of alertness mixed with a dash of detachment. "He already has a contract holder but is able to possess Hiro."

"He can also discipline the Ima-tachi!" chirped Yuffie-chan, sounding as chipper as always.

"I would say that his being born explains his special nature," said Conductor, looking straight into Hiro-White's blue eyes, silently telling the Imagin that he, in fact, did not believe such a thing. "He has greater power than other Imagin."

"As would be expected from one such as I," intoned Hiro-White. He looked towards Yuffie-chan, holding out his arms. "If you please." The waitress sighed sadly but handed over the baby willingly. Hiro-White looked down into baby Alicen's eyes, smiling in pleasure before resuming his regular regality. "Now, let's go and find my little girl's mother, shall we?"

Tifa glared at the possessed Hiro but nodded in resignation. It was all for the good of the baby after all and, more than that, a small part of Tifa was afraid of this Imagin not because he held no fear for the Conductor but because the man himself looked at the monster within Hiro… as an equal.

That was more than enough to earn her fear.

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Atop the tallest skyscraper in all of Heatherfield there stood a motley crew of people. Their number four in total, all were of Asian descent made all the more obvious from the language they spoke; the same as one Hiroyuki Kaneda.

The tallest of them stood with a dark scowl on his face, hawk like eyes glaring down at the foreign city with obvious disdain, a hand drifting down to lightly stroke the hilt of a katana hidden beneath the folds of his large red trench coat. "(This is where this guy is supposed to be?)"

The one beside him was of average height, his short emerald hair blowing lightly in the wind as he stared down at the streets, his lime-colored eyes faintly aglow with molten light. "(The mana is strange here… twisted and writhing but I can see portions of it healing…)"

The smallest of them but widest in muscle mass stood with a confident grin on his face. A long scar fell across his left eye from just above his eyebrow to the top of his jaw. "(Looks like we might be out of the job eh Boss?)"

The last of them stood closest to the edge, nostrils flared and burning orange eyes glaring down at the city streets before turning to the device on his wrist. Appearing as no more than an ordinary wristwatch, the device changed such ideas as a holographic globe appeared over it.

The scarred one looked surprised by the action. "Aniki?"

The young man's eyes remained on the device's hologram, "(It couldn't be…)"

"(Don't keep us in suspense here, Commander. What's the damn problem already?)" questioned the sword-wielder in disbelief.

"(… Never mind. For now, we'll keep to the mission,)" spoke the leader, the red glow of his eyes fading as he turned once more to the city streets. "(Let's go.)" He looked to the others and nodded as, together, they ran along the edge of the skyscraper's roof…

And leapt.

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"For now we have to find her mother." Tifa spoke either to herself or to him, Hiro-White couldn't quite be sure. "The only clues are the name Driscoll, a large mansion… and a coat of arms bearing a dragon."

_"She likes to restate the obvious does she not?"_ he spoke inwardly to his host.

_"Tifa says it helps her focus,"_ said Hiro.

The possessed youth nodded, turning shining blue eyes to Tifa. "That's right. I have high hopes for you. Work hard."

"Hey!" Tifa did not like to be ordered about like she was some servant but more than that, she didn't want to go searching across town with Hiro at her side with a target sign still painted on his back. True, his appearance had suffered a more drastic change thanks to Bahamut and with the baby in his gentle arms, Hiro did look very different than usual but it was still a risk Tifa wasn't about to take. She took Hiro-White by the arm and guided him to a bench and sat him down upon it. "Wait here! I'm going o see if I can dig up some information on my own, okay?" She didn't wait for an answer, already running off towards the suburban district.

Hiro-White watched her go with a small frown on his face. "Was that an order?"

Knowing the dangerous situation that Tifa had put on him, Hiro was quick to answer. _"She is concerned for your daughter, milord."_

Hiro-White smiled, nodding in satisfaction with Hiro's words. "As she should be." He looked down into the baby girl's face, sighing softly. "We'll find her my dear. The world is my oyster after all." Hiro-White's blazing eyes suddenly flashed vibrantly with shining light, turning to regard the small band that was slowly approaching him.

A youth stepped first amongst them, dressed in camouflage pants and a tight black muscle shirt. Neither African nor Caucasian, the boy of seventeen years was a strange blend of the two yet sharing no true definition of traits from said bloodlines despite his heavy upper musculature. His eyes were colored like earth, nearly blending in with the darkness of his skin, and his hair, long and unkempt, rested lightly over his shoulder. Scars covered his arms and face, most prominent being the scar just behind his right eye that fell close to his hard jaw.

Following behind him was a boy of nineteen years dressed in a simple pair of jeans, his torso covered by a pale brown vest over a white shirt. His hair, colored like copper, fell past his matching eyes, which held a kind of sadness, mixed with concern. Built of average size, he did not appear all too dangerous were it not for the fact that he was currently chewing on a large medical needle with little concern.

Opposite this metal-eater was another boy of sixteen years with a strangely somber attitude over his face. His hair was colored like bleached sand from constant exposure to the sun, a polar opposite to his eyes which were such a dark shade of blue they were almost black. His skin was the color of mocha, oppressing dark against the vibrant white of his shirt and the light tan of his cargo pants.

The last of them stood furthest from them, a torn look of despair and regret on her face. She was the youngest of them, matching Hiro's age near perfectly. She was tall for her age but not overly so and her spiky hair, colored a remarkable shade of blue, fell to her waist. Her eyes, refusing to meet anything aside from the ground, were remarkably strange. They were a burning orange while her irises were an empty white.

Within Hiro's body, Bahamut read the memories that came from the recognition of them all. Jason, Adam, J.D., and… Nicole… people that Hiro knew, respected, feared, and cared about. People that had done something horrible to him, something that the Imagin currently in control of the boy could never forgive.

Betrayal.

Jason's eyes were narrowed, dark and dangerous, and focused entirely on the baby in Hiro-White's arms. "Put the child down and surrender peacefully Imagin scum."

Hiro-White stood imperiously, holding young Alicen in a firm but gentle embrace. "Who are you to think you have authority over one such as I, human?"

"So glad you asked." Jason gripped the buckle of his belt. "That only makes it easier for us. Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

Adam sighed wearily, taking the needle from his mouth and crushing it to a small pulp in his hand before swallowing it whole. He reached to the device strapped to his wrist. "Execute. Kaiju Spirit Evolution."

J.D. grunted, uncrossing his arms and reaching up to the collar on his neck. "Execute. Kaiju Spirit Evolution."

Nicole spared but a single glance at Hiro and, flinching at the sight of his possession, grasped the device on her right wrist. "Execute… Kaiju Spirit Evolution…"

"AWAKEN!"

"KAMEN RIDER!"

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Tifa:_ Hiro's name should be Trouble with all the messes he ends up in all the time! Not only does he have a powerful Imagin controlling his body that he can't, or won't (the idiot!), kick out, he has to combat a group of Kamen Riders he's never heard of! Who are these Patriots and what is their purpose in Heatherfield?! Oh, Hiro better make it out alright or I'm going to—Hey… Who's the guy in black?

_Divergence Path; Friend or Foe_


	10. Divergence Path

Me: Yo, sorry for the delay folks but SOMEBODY wouldn't sit still with this chapter so it took a while to finish.

Bahamut: Hey, I want the most of the limelight while I have it.

Me: Yeah and because of that, the last chapter was slightly edited a bit so you might want to read through it real quick. Specifically, the segment featuring the man in the coat.

Bahamut: Now get started on the chapter!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Divergence Path; Friend or Foe_

A pair of burning orbs snapped open, flashing with crimson colored light. The device on his wrist blared with matching intensity as the holographic orb appeared once more, this time clearly bedecked with four shining lights standing together against a strange duality of colors. Teeth sharpened into deadly fangs as human nails lengthened into animalistic claws, the light in the youth's eyes matching the color of spilled blood.

"It's them!" He growled low in his throat, "The Patriots!" He turned back the way he came and began to run for all that he was worth. If what he saw was true, and he had no reason to think otherwise, the new guy was going to need all the help he could get if he wanted to see his monster-hunting career to its final conclusion.

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His armor was the color of ebony matched with the dark black fur that covered his forearms and lower calves. Fine silver fur grew along the back, giving an aged appearance to the armor. The design of the metal portions gave the idea of heavy muscles which matched perfectly to the true muscles beneath the black bodysuit of the warrior. Adorning his waist was a metal studded belt bedecked with a small device shaped like an ape's fist. The helmet was shaped like a gorilla's head, the "eyes" serving as amber-tinted lenses. Like Jason Young, the face of the helmet was bedecked with scars forming a strange unity between Jason and:

"KONG!"

His leather like bodysuit was the color of unfurnished copper while the armor, stylized like those worn during the Dark Ages, was a shining bronze. On his wrist was a cell-phone sized device shaped like open, fanged jaws. Sharp claws armed the gauntlets and a small row of spikes grew upwards at a curving angle along the back until it reached the top of the dinosaurian helmet with a large golden horn curved forward, glinting in the early morning light. The sapphire-tinted visor was clutched in the mouth of the helmet, matching the "eyes" of the blade resting at the knight's hip. The sword's hilt was made to resemble the beast it took power from as the shape of the blade testified in its flame like designs. Gone was the seemingly ordinary boy Adam Devonshire, now there was only:

"GALGAMETH!"

He stood proudly despite the near blinding intensity of the light surrounding his armored form. His leather bodysuit was colored a dulled gold with a more varnished shade for the armor. However, the arms and shoulders of the armor were bedecked with small ruby like growths that pulsed like the beat of a heart and shining like miniature suns. On his neck was a metal collar with a small sun-shaped device strapped to its center. Coarse crimson hair grew from the back of the helmet which was shaped like a natural merge of wolf and tyrannosaur with the molten yellow visor held in the "jaws". A crest of horns, six in total, grew out from the sides of the helmet with a single horn shaped like a crescent moon resting on the brow. He reached up and seemingly pulled the horn free only to draw forth an ancient Japanese man catcher, a sasumata which stood a good eight feet in length. He was no longer J.D. Taupier, now he was:

"FANTASTICA!"

She was the smallest of them and seemed the weakest if only by appearance. The leather dark blue bodysuit seemed to dominate more than the dark brown armor. Her female form was quite obvious, despite the reptilian nature of the armor she wore. Her helmet, resembling a lizard-turned-dinosaur held the burnt orange visor in its small fangs like Galgameth and Fantastica's own. The device on her right wrist better matched the appearance of the creature her helmet resembled. Her back was bedecked with small spikes that curved forward to her head from the base of her spine to the back of her helmet. Adorning her left arm was a large gun like weapon shaped like the head of the creature whose power she used now as her own. Nicole Derich's long blue hair floated gently in the wind as she stood in the form of:

"ZILLA!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit choked, fire flashing along his throat before crimson steam gushed from his nose. He slammed his cup of coffee, now devoid of its delicious drink, down on the table, nearly shattering it in his claws. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Leviathan's breath was held tight, almost as tightly as the fear gripping his heart. He breathed out slowly, releasing far more steam than was usual for him and taking several more breaths from his pipe. "Thissssss… could turn out very badly…"

Behemoth nearly bashed his head against the ceiling, his tail whipping several chairs off the floor and into the walls as a disturbing rumble echoed in his chest. "How could I miss such strength?"

Carbuncle bounced up and climbed along the Beast Imagin's back and hid in the larger monster's mane, quivering. "I don' like t'is part, chu! Skip ahead, skip ahead!"

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Hiro-White frowned, feeling his host's unconscious reaction of gripping his baby girl tighter in his arms. Memories of news reports and magazine clippings of armored warriors bearing the title of Kamen Rider were quickly read by Bahamut. There were warriors of virtue; heroes that combated against monsters from a black moon and beyond the world that is but this group of four were unrecognizable to Hiro and so were the same to Bahamut.

"I see…" he said, quite calm despite facing what could become four serious threats against him, his host, and the baby in his arms. His voice dropped to absolute zero. "I have heard of the Kamen Riders and though you bear a similar likeness, I do not recall any of your names. So who are you really? Pretenders or perhaps… leftovers of the Dark Riders?"

Zilla flinched at Hiro-White's cold tone while Kong bristled angrily. "Don't you dare lump us with either of them! We might share a similar power but were nothing like the Daikaiju Riders or their betrayers!"

"Oh? Then please, enlighten me." Hiro-White waved to the Ape Rider as though giving him permission to speak further.

Kong growled low in his throat, a beastial sound made worse by the electronic distortion of the helmet. "We are the Patriots and unlike Kusanagi, we don't have any problem killing a few innocent lives if it means saving several more. I'll ask you this last time, if you have any feelings for that child you will release her to us and die knowing she will be safe."

Hiro-White's eyes glowed a glistening blue. "So I've choice to die with or without my daughter? Such choices are beneath me to even think over." A fanged smile promising pain spread on the possessed boy's face. Though his host was shocked to silence, Bahamut knew the proper response to be said in the boy's favor. "If you mean to end two innocent lives this day then I invite you to do so but know this! I am anything but an innocent."

"I'm sure," growled Kong. "_Congo Beat_!" The Ape Rider shot forward, fist held high for a powerful haymaker only to miss completely as Hiro-White jumped back a good several yards.

Kong didn't slow down, using the momentum of his missed strike to roll forward, ready to deliver a powerful uppercut to the Imagin-possessed Hiro when suddenly there came a loud roar of, "_Atomic Fire!_" A large burning ball of nuclear fire shot through the air and slammed Kong back towards the other Patriots.

"Arrgh!" Kong grunted in pain, clutching at his burnt chest and shoving a concerned Fantastica away from him. "That power… I know that power…!" He looked past Hiro-White, his visor aglow with rage.

Hiro-White turned to see his unneeded rescuer for himself and felt another burst of surprise from his host, which earned a pleased smile on the possessed boy's face. These were people neither he nor Hiro knew personally but both knew enough about to trust them wholly and completely.

He wore a leather-like black leotard underneath the charcoal-gray that was the dominant color of his armor and his helmet was shaped to resemble the head of some kind of carnivorous dinosaur. Along the back of his armor was a row of small metallic spikes that were only a few inches in length. The gauntlets ended in sharp claws and the visor, which was the "mouth" of the helmet, was a dark red. The gauntlet on his left arm held a cell phone sized device that was a more defined shape of the dinosaur's head that made up his helmet while the gauntlet on his right held a large blaster-gun of some sort. The symbol of radiation on his back still shined with power from his last attack.

_"Gojira…"_

Next to Gojira stood a Rider whose bodysuit and armor were both two different shades of brown and his helmet was shaped more like an ankylosaur's with three sharp, yellow spikes running down the sides of his jaw. He had a pair of spikes jutting out from his shoulders and thighs and there was a spiked club attached to the side of his belt. He was a head shorter than Gojira and was more on the wide side though he had similar muscularity to Gojira. What was really odd though was the long jagged scar running down the side of his orange-tinted visor that resembled a scar from an animal's claw.

_"Anguirus…"_

He stood tall; at least a foot taller than Gojira, and his leotard was colored a dark goldenrod while the armor itself was a dark red. His helmet was shaped like a pterodactyl's head with not one but two crests jutting out from the top. His dark gray hair fell past his shoulders and was tied into a ponytail that wavered in the wind that seemed to constantly surround him. His visor was shaped like the wings of a pterosaur and was a vibrant blue. Strapped to his left wrist was a device that was also shaped like a pair of wings while his right hand held a serrated katana.

_"Rodan…"_

His bodysuit was a dark forest green while his armor was a dull emerald. His armguards were bulkier than normal and both had a series of sharp short-blades running down along the sides of his forearms. Attached to his back was a sort of backpack-shaped hump where a photographic lens could be seen at the top, just behind his head. His helmet had a row of spikes running from the forehead down to the base of his skull and was shaped like a snapping-turtle's head with a pair of sharp tusks jutting upwards along the mouth guard. His visor was shaped like a pair of turtle-flippers and was colored a dark red.

_"Gamera…_

_"The Kamen Riders…"_ Hiro whispered in awe, now over his shocked stupor. Hiro-White nodded, stepping to the side of the bridge and stood patiently waiting for the show to begin.

"Eiji Kusanagi… So you're still alive…" growled Kong, his gauntlets clutched tightly in his hands.

"Don't sound so surprised, Young. If anyone should be surprised here, it should be me. I thought you'd have pushed yourself to your grave years ago." Gojira spoke in perfect English, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see your methods haven't changed since last we heard from you Patriots. Still killing people to protect a hundred more, Young?"

"My methods have kept me and my team alive, Kusanagi. Something that you can't boast about," snarled Kong.

"Watch your mouth, Young. It may lead you to an early death." Gojira's visor had begun to glow with crimson intensity.

"You're one to talk of death and graves, Kusanagi. Tell me, how many men have you lost now? Seems you're short by a full dozen. Your father had done better when he was alive but, then again, he worked alongside traitors of the human race quite well didn't he?" Kong smirked beneath his helmet, knowing exactly where to strike at Gojira with his words. Behind the Ape Rider, Galgameth stiffened, his grip tightening on his sword.

"Shut up! You know nothing of what you speak, Young! At least my father died saving the lives of innocent people. What can you say for yours?" growled Gojira. "He died as he lived, a petty thief too proud to admit his own idiocy!"

The air between the two Riders seemed to have frozen solid, a dark intensity between them and those who stood with him. Rodan and Anguirus exchanged looks while Gamera looked on in concern towards Gojira. Opposite them, Fantastica stood twitching, waiting for something to happen while Galgameth stood calmly to the side with his hand resting against the hilt of his sword, Drakon. Zilla's fists were clenched tight, her eyes never leaving Gojira's form. Off to the side, Hiro-White watched the proceedings with pleased surprise.

_"It would seem there is a history between our two squadrons."_ Bahamut spoke directly to Hiro.

_"I guess so… you don't think they're going to fight?"_ The Dragon Imagin excused the boy's lack of proper etiquette in speaking to him. Even Bahamut had to admit that his attention was focused more on the Riders than the baby cooing in his arms.

_"Honor is at stake here, boy."_ Bahamut answered. _"Theirs as well as their fathers'."_

There was a sudden flash of movement followed shortly by a flash of light and a computerized voice calling forth, "CAST ON! CHANGE JUNGLE KING!" before Zilla was slammed painfully into the ground by a backhanded strike from Kong who was now bedecked with a pair of black holographic arms and legs like those of a gorilla.

_"Nicole!"_

"Stay out of this!" growled Kong, not bothering to look at the female Rider as she was helped back to her feet by a concerned Galgameth. "This is between Kusanagi and me; no one else!"

Gojira's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. "Like father, like son." He reached down to the K-Zector on his wrist and turned it around. "Cast-On."

"CAST-ON!" A flash of intense light and there was now a row of holographic, crystalline spines running down Gojira's back and a large serpentine tail that waved in the air behind him. The spines and tail both were a brilliant silver color though they were as translucent as Kong's holo-limbs. "CHANGE KAIJU OKAMI!"

Kong tilted his head back and laughed uproariously. "Yes! Let's settle this once and for all which of us deserves the title of King, Kusanagi!" He leapt high into the air, higher than any normal human could go, and twisted into a tight tornado of fist and kicks. "_Congo Beat!_"

Gojira leapt after him, bouncing off a support pillar on the bridge and raising the G-Force Cannon on his arm. "_Atomic Fire!_"

Beneath the two midair dueling combatants, the rest of their respected parties had begun to fight with a matching fury of blows. Zilla had meant to race upwards after Gojira but had run headlong into an orange-tinted force field which slammed her painfully to the ground. Anguirus tutted, shaking a finger at the younger Rider. "Now, now, that's not very nice ignoring me, Spitfire-chan!"

Rodan shook his head in disgust. "You and bluenettes." He muttered before shooting forward, unsheathing his Primal Blade and matching against Fantastica's Solaris. "_Sonic Winding Slash!_"

Fantastica cursed and hastily held up the Solaris to block the sword strike before shoving the Aerial Rider back and leaping away from the taller Rider who was quick to follow him. The Sun Rider cursed once more and began to twirl the Solaris tightly, flames sparking along the bladed edge as he ran. "_Saurian Strike!_"

Rodan's eyes widened before he leapt skyward, twisting the K-Zector on his wrist. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" A flash of light and Rodan hovered in the air above the decimated section of the bridge with his armored boots now bedecked with the hologram of a pterosaur's feet while the wings on his back flapped lightly. The holograms were a dull shade of red but did not appear too threatening. "CHANGE SORA BUSHI!"

"Bastard!" cursed Rodan. "You trying to take out the whole damn bridge!?"

"Just buying time, bird boy!" crowed Fantastica, reaching up to his neck and twisting the K-Zector adorning it around. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" An explosion of solar light and the Sun Rider now stood proudly with his back completely covered in thick spikes with a long sinuous tail waving in the air behind him. Like his hair, the holograms were colored a dark, clayish red. "CHANGE BURNING SUN!" Fantastica grinned beneath his helmet as he brought the Solaris up to bear, solar radiation shining at its blade. "_Brilliant Flare!_" A thick beam of energy shot forth from the bladed staff, flying up towards the Crimson Rider who dodged it with ease and dove downwards for a return strike.

Meanwhile, Gamera and Galgameth stood facing each other calmly. Both were the eldest of their respected groups and so had a greater maturity than them and were more willing to start their battle with grace than pigheadedness.

"You are doing well, Adam." Gamera said a smile in his voice as he looked slightly upwards at the taller Rider.

Galgameth shrugged, unsheathing his sword and shouldering it. "Proper nutrition will do that for you, Shiro." His tone and posture changed. "You really want to do this? I have the advantage here." He indicated both his sword and the arm holding it.

Gamera reflexively flexed his right arm where once mechanical parts and oil replaced flesh and blood. He sighed, shaking his head at the painful memories that came with the once artificial limb. "Things have changed, Adam. In more ways than one." A wet sounding schlunk and a pair of bonelike blades burst from Gamera's wrists, one for each arm. The Emerald Rider clenched his fists tightly as metal flowed over the bone blades like water, covering them completely.

Galgameth cocked his head in surprise but did not hesitate in raising the Drakon. "So I see. Well, let us begin then." The Copper Rider raced forward, rising his sword for a vertical strike. Gamera twisted tightly, shell meeting sword in a flurry of sparks and painful screeches. Though he too was armed beside the Terra Blaster on his back, Gamera had the disadvantage of being slightly slower than Galgameth, an advantage the Knight didn't hesitate in exploiting against his foe.

"_Arcana!_" The blade of the Drakon sword glowed brightly as Galgameth began to move with the grace of a master swordsman, slashing and parrying blows with Gamera who struggled against the strength of the Metallic Rider's assault before returning the favor by suddenly bowing down with the Terra Blaster on his back shining with plasma energy.

"_Flaming Barrage!_"

"Scheisse!" Galgameth rolled to the side, barely dodging the barrage of plasma fireballs from Gamera.

Back with Zilla, Anguirus was heavily amused in dealing with the younger Rider whose sole intent it seemed was to attack Gojira.

"Should I feel hurt that I'm being so blatantly ignored here?" he asked himself as he again created a force-field to block another super dash from Zilla.

The female Rider growled, sounding more like an animal than a human, and brought her HEAT Blaster up to bare. "_Atomic Flare!_" A thin stream of nuclear flame tinted in shades of green burned through the air towards Anguirus. The Spiked Rider simply held up a hand and watched dispassionately as the flames impacted against it.

"That's not going to-URK!" Anguirus grunted as he was kicked in the side of the head via a powerful high-jump spin kick from Zilla. The Spiked Rider rolled from the momentum of the blow and rose to his feet. He cracked his neck, wincing but chuckling merrily. "Good! Very nice! Now we can finally get serious!" He twirled the Ankylo Hammer lightly before leaping forward, the spiked club raised high. "_Ancient Strike!_"

Hiro-White raised an eyebrow at the amount of damage the Riders' named attacks were causing let alone their unspoken actions against their opponents. They were strong, perhaps even stronger than Guardian Force in some aspects. He smirked suddenly. "But nowhere near my strength." His pale blue-eyes fell upon the Black Rider, Gojira. "Except for him. He is a king, more so than that cur." His glare fell upon Kong before he suddenly blinked in surprise. "Ah, I just remembered." With nothing more to say to himself or to his host, Hiro-White turned away from the battle and began to walk away, back towards the higher class district in Heatherfield, never once looking back at the warlike battle he had left behind.

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Its body rose slowly from the ground, composed entirely of sand with its lower half hanging above its head. He stared at it without fear, his hand never leaving the pommel of his sword that lay hidden within the folds of his coat.

"Ask me any wish and I shall grant it. All I ask is for one thing; a challenge!"

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money but what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for monsters like you."

"I ask nothing for myself, my lord. Ask me any wish and I shall grant it though I've a small request; make it a challenge worthy of my time!"

The dark light beneath the man's mask seemed to ebb. "If you are what you make yourself out to be than you know what I want, but know this creature. Give me what I desire and that will be the end of it between us. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you fail, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

The monster seemed to grin beneath its helmet. "Of that I've no doubt, Hunter of the Dark."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Where's he going?" Ifrit growled, his mouth alight with unholy fire as embers danced in his mane to match the level of his rage. "Where the hell is that draconic bastard going?! He's running away from the damn fight!"

"He is proving his courage," stated Behemoth, lying down along the floor and crossing his muscular arms to serve as a pillow for his horned head. "The child is still with him and to remain near such strengths could put her at risk."

"Ssstill…" hissed Leviathan. "What do the Kamen Ridersss have to do with our Hiro?"

Carbuncle remained silent, his tail gripped tightly in his paws as he shivered. This was the part he hated the most.

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Gojira and Kong stood atop the topmost support pillar of the small bridge, clawed gauntlets interlocked in a fight of strength and dominance over the over. Though Kong had the advantage of his holo-arms against Gojira's own flesh and blood, the Black Rider was proving the better of the two as he slowly started to push the Ape Rider back.

"Submit, Young." Gojira spoke calmly, assured of his victory. "We're not here to kill you."

"Funny." Kong grunted, "I can't say the same for me!" The Ape Rider suddenly let go and dropped to his back with Gojira stumbling forward into his waiting grip. Gojira twisted tightly and pressed his back down hard onto Kong, his holo-spines piercing into the Ape Rider's furred armor and earning a monstrous scream of rage. Kong shoved Gojira off and rolled over the edge and swung down to slide along the support beam. He landed roughly on his feet, cursing in his pain. Blood tinged the portions of his bodysuit that Gojira's holo-spines managed to puncture and ran freely on Kong's chest and legs.

The Black Rider landed not far from the Ape Rider, the G-Force Cannon on his right arm already ablaze to match the intense glow of his holo-spines. "I'll say this only one last time, Young. Submit or else your days as a Kamen Rider end today."

"NEVER!" roared Kong, grasping his fist-shaped K-Zector tight. "I'll never submit to you Kusanagi! _Break Free_!"

"_Safety protocols disengage._" Intoned the emotionless device attached to the buckle of his belt. "Initiating BioMerge…"

Gojira's eyes widened beneath his helmet but he raised his weapon to aim directly at Kong's head. "Turn it off, Young! There are innocent people in this city!"

"The price is low enough!" growled Kong, more like an animal than a man as muscles bulged beneath his armor.

"_Three._"

"Don't make me do this, Jason!"

"_Two._"

"Go ahead and try, Kusanagi!"

"_One._"

SCHLUNK.

"BioMerge disengaged. Safety Protocols re-established."

Kong's eyes widened as first his holographic limbs shut down before his armor shattered away to reveal his true form. Jason Young's piercing blue eyes stared like pinpoints first at the shocked Gojira before lowering down to the sword that pierced through his torso, its bladed edge sparking against his K-Zector.

"You're biggest mistake throughout all these years, Jason… Was to believe that I was ever on your side."

Galgameth pulled the Drakon free and watched dispassionately as Kong fell to the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath his unconscious form

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Hiro-White stopped, his eyes glowing for but a moment before he turned and looked towards a large mansion where a small flag could be seen wavering in the wind atop the topmost tower of the gothic-style building. The flag was colored a royal purple and depicted a pearl-white dragon bearing a coat-of-arms in its claws. His eyes narrowed before he stepped up to the gate.

_"Is this the place, Bahamut-sama?"_

"It is." He nodded before suddenly jumping to the side as a sword pierced the air where he stood. Hiro-White scowled darkly, his eyes shining with light. "Aside from daring to strike at one such as I, you would do so with an innocent child in my arms?"

"My contract holder wished for your demise and the return of his child. He even made a threat on my life should she die. He obviously doesn't know much about Imagin and what we're capable of." The Imagin was black as obsidian with a visage like that of a demonic knight. Huge and towering at six feet tall with a long mane of red hair falling behind its spiked helmet, the Knight Imagin's amber-lit eyes glared through the grill of its visor as it looked past the human host to the Imagin within. He raised his zweihander sword up from the ground. "You… Oh, I wanted a challenge and what greater a challenge than facing you?"

Hiro-White's eyes narrowed. "You know of me. Then you know of yourself as well."

"I do. But the question remains; do I care?" The Knight Imagin raised its sword high. "I'll make a trophy of your hide!"

Hiro-White jumped back, farther than any normal human could have gone to dodge the blow that shook the earth with its strength. His eyes looked down at the baby in his arms. With her in hand, he couldn't fight to his full potential so how—

"Hiro!"

'_God bless Karma and her good sense of timing._' Hiro-White didn't so much as turn his head as he tossed the baby over his shoulder towards the rapidly approaching Tifa. The brunette gasped in horror and hastily held out her arms to catch the baby when the child was suddenly enveloped in a soft blue light and began to float gently down into the teenage girl's arms.

"Take my daughter back to the Eido-Liner while I take care of this fool." As Hiro-White spoke, the GF-Belt appeared around his waist appearing very different than before as it was now shining silver instead of plain black and the DiscLoader Buckle was now a shining gold with no buttons adorning its pristine surface. Gripping the GF-Pass in hand, Hiro-White waved it over the buckle. "Start it up!"

"START GAME! ZERO FORM!"

A cocoon of light surrounded him before breaking apart to reveal a golden bodysuit that was adorned with platinum pieces of armor fashioned like that of a dragon. The gauntlets ended in sharp claws and the boots resembled the feet of a velociraptor with the toe-claw replaced by a shining curved sickle. His helmet was shaped like a dragon's head with the pale blue visor clamped firmly in the jaws as a pair of horns curved back from his head in an antelope-like fashion. A large golden wheel bedecked with a design like that of a curling sun attached itself to the Rider's back as a large weapon appeared in his right hand.

A large blade, curved and etched with a shining design of a winged dragon, made up most of the weapon but where a sword's hilt would be was in fact a gun with the barrel melting into the blade. The revolver of the gunblade, Ambrosius, looked to contain a maximum of ten bullets but is not the saying, "Judge not a book by its cover"?

"To the infinite and beyond, I write my own destiny." Guardian Force Zero Form intoned, twirling his gunblade lightly in his clawed hands.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Oh, HELL NO!" Ifrit's mane lit in full blazing glory. "Not another one! Not another damn one, you hear me you draconic bastard! Get the hell out of there and let me kick that knight's ass the proper way! With a good old fashioned ass-kicking!"

"Thisss isss surprisssing to sssay the leassst…" Leviathan smoked his pipe. "Do you think he will require our aid, Behemoth?"

"No," rumbled the Beast Imagin. "He was able to handle all four of us without using his full strength."

"That doesn't count, god damn it!" roared Ifrit. "He treated us like dogs!"

"I believe you mean yourssself more than usss, Sempai."

"Shut it, Snake-boy!"

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Fantastica nearly dropped his Solaris in shock as he stared first at his downed commander to the bloodied blood of the betrayer. "You… You've been with them?! This whole time?!"

Galgameth turned his head to regard the Solar Rider. "No. Not until I made contact with them when we established ourselves here."

"Two years… For nearly two years you've been betraying us to them?!" roared Fantastica. Behind him, Zilla remained silent, her glaring eyes focused entirely on Gojira. Solar fire ignited along the blade of the Solaris. "I'll see you burn for this!"

A serrated sword held itself close to his throat. "Relax," snorted Rodan, "your 'commander' will live, at least long enough to stand trial before the rest of us."

"The rest?" Zilla finally spoke, her voice devoid of emotion. "Who else is there that still live."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be very surprised by whom." Anguirus smiled grimly beneath his helmet. "I believe he has a lot of things to speak to you three about."

Gojira glared down at the unconscious Jason Young, watching as the bleeding slowed to a stop as the K-Zector finally began to heal his adversary. He sighed in disgust and looked to Galgameth. "It was my fight."

"And it would have become everyone's had you hesitated any longer," stated the Metallic Rider with a strange coldness in his voice. "Haven't we learned better than that since Tokyo, my old friend?"

Gojira blinked. "Tokyo? You mean… Kushinada? Adam, didn't Morisato tell you—" He was cut off as a sudden surge of killing intent flooded the city.

The Riders turned as one towards the center of the upper class district where huge beams of energy raked against the sky like mad serpents over a small area of the high-end district.

"Hiro." Without another word, Zilla was gone, leaving a trail of fire in her wake as the sound barrier broke behind her.

"Shit," Gojira cursed as he pressed against the mouth guard of his helmet. "I'm going after her." With a flaming roar, the Black Rider's K-Cycle appeared at his side, the engine growling like a feral beast. The K-Cycle was designed after its Rider with a head shaped like the monster Gojira was powered by with exhaust pipes that flushes neon blue fire even as it remained motionless beside its Rider.

"What do we do with them, Little Brother?" Gamera asked, indicating the two remaining Patriots.

Gojira's eyes narrowed behind his helmet. "Take them to the scrap yard. I'll meet you there with the brat." He sat astride his bike and took off towards where he could feel the massive energies in the air. '_Such power… I've not felt anything like this since the Dead Moon Circus… what kind of monster does this boy hold?_'

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The Knight Imagin regarded its prey with a keen eye, chuckling within its armored skin. "Oh the poetic irony. The knight has become the beast and so the beast becomes the knight. What glory this fight shall earn my honor."

"What little of it remains, Slayer." G-Force ZF held up his gunblade. "Strange though how her spell would send you here as one of my kindred." Though his eyes remained on the Imagin, G-Force ZF saw Tifa quickly race back through the open gate in which she had first appeared through. '_Good. At least our girls are safe._'

"Whoever said my being here in this skin had anything to do with Serenity's spell?" The Knight Imagin raised its sword high. "Have at thee!"

G-Force ZF parried the blow with ease, spinning tightly around the monster and slashing with the Ambrosius. "If not Serenity then who? There was no one else."

The Knight Imagin wrenched his sword free from the ground and twirled it tightly around, aiming to chop the Platinum Rider in half. Guardian Force ZF leapt back from the strike, floating fast along the ground. "Your cheap parlor tricks won't help you with me this time, dragon! I've my own power now to overcome your own."

"Again, I am curious." The Platinum Rider leapt high, rebounded off the Knight Imagin's sword and slashed at the monster as he ricocheted out the monster's range, "as to how a commoner like you could gain such remarkable favor. It could not be from His Highness for he has not claimed his birthright."

"That welp? He was a traitor to everything our world stood for the day he ran off after that moon slut!" The Knight Imagin moved faster than before, slashing at G-Force ZF. "Our kingdom was grand and powerful, equal to their own though they possessed worlds to our one. We were the stronger!"

"_Dragon's Glory!_" The hammer of the Ambrosius came down as dark-tinted energy ran into the blade on impact with the Knight Imagin's own. The Platinum Rider began a series of energy-lit strikes against the monstrous zweihander sword, which buckled from the power of the attacks. Guardian Force ZF finished with a powerful downward stroke the cut deep into the Knight Imagin's blade. "So you claim, yet it was thanks to the Crystal—" The visor glowed brightly to match the intensity of the Rider's shock. "No… you wouldn't have dared."

"I?" The Knight Imagin grunted and started pushing G-Force ZF back. "It was not as though I had a real choice in the matter but were I to do it all over again I'd gladly do so!"

"You insolent fool!" The wheel on G-Force ZF's back began to spin, slowly at first but its speed began to increase to match the growing heights of his anger. "Do you even realize what you mere existence allows?! She cannot be allowed to interfere! You know that better than anyone!"

"True, but the real question is do I care?" The Knight Imagin planted his sword into the ground. "I am her vassal now, dragon, and as such I'm granted special… privileges." Sand began to fall from the Knight Imagin's body though none of its form was lost in the cascade. If anything it began to grow bigger in size.

The golden wheel was near blinding at its incredible speed as power crackled at its center. Guardian Force ZF held up the GF-Pass and started to bring it down when the energy from the wheel suddenly spread out along his armored form. _"ARGH!"_

_"Hiro!"_ The Imagin within cursed loudly. '_What's going on?! My synchronization with Hiro is breaking, but why?_' Bahamut twitched, feeling the wings of his Imagin form falling apart particle by particle. '_Could it be because I haven't flown to the past? Belial take this spell to the Pit! How can it even affect one such as I? I am King!_'

The Rider's visor turned a dark crimson as his armor morphed from platinum to obsidian. The shifting Knight Imagin didn't so much as blink from the massive wave of killing intent coming from the sparking Kamen Rider. The wheel spun faster as Guardian Force ZF struggled to raise his weapon, pointing its bladed tip up at the growing form of the DeathGigas. Struggling to even stand, the Rider had no way to speak as he unleashed the energy in chaotic beams that shot scored no direct hit against the Knightmare DeathGigas.

Resembling the Knight Imagin only in shape, the Knightmare DeathGigas appeared more machine than monster with clouds of smoke pouring from heated vents along its torso and back. Replacing its hands was a sword and shield respectively. It let loose a pained howl from the energy attack and smashed its sword-hand down upon Guardian Force ZF. As the blade came down, time seemed to slow down as the armor fully disengaged, revealing the separate forms of Bahamut and Hiro, the Imagin being the conscious one of the two. The Dragon Imagin's eyes glowed brightly with cracks appearing along his scaled form as the sound barrier broke and the speeding form of Zilla arrived on the scene, slowing down enough to safely grab Hiro and carry him away.

The sword came down.

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The Knightmare DeathGigas scowled, lifting its sword and glaring down at the ground. No blood, no body… no trophy to be had but such was to be expected. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that what not. However, where was the human child? Laser like eyes turned slowly to the rooftops of the expensive homes, following the heat trail made by supersonic travel, until they spotted an armored form kneeling beside a young boy. The lenses of its eyes focused tighter and the Knightmare DeathGigas growled in pleasure. The berserker let loose a powerful roar and started to lumber towards its prey.

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"Hiro! Come on, wake up Hiro!" Zilla lightly shook the comatose boy's shoulders. "Please… be alright…" Hiro's shirt had been badly burned though not as badly as his back where the energy from his failed attack had struck him. A thunderous roar brought the female Rider's attention back towards the very monster that had nearly killed her best friend. Beneath her helmet, Zilla's eyes glowed a familiar shade of red. "You…"

Her hand reached down to the K-Zector on her wrist when a hand suddenly clamped down tightly over her own. She flinched and turned to look up in surprise at the girl who she had seen with Hiro on more than one occasion.

Tifa's eyes were narrowed and angry as she glared down at the Patriot. "Don't even think about it, unless you want to add more misery onto Hiro. So hands off the BioMerge System."

Zilla blinked in surprise. '_How—_'

A metallic roar broke the strange tension between the two girls as Gojira skidded onto the scene, his bike leaving a flaming trail on the rooftops on which he had traversed. Looking first between the boy and girls to the approaching DeathGigas, Gojira summed up the situation in a single, eloquent phrase.

"Crap."

* * *

_To Be Continued...

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_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Ifrit:_ Well this if fu-reaking great! Not only does that damnable dragon fail to finish that Imagin off, he's gone and injured my contract holder! With the Baka-teme knocked-out, none of us can enter his body and become Guardian Force! So how the hell are we going to finish that DeathGigas off without the Eido-Liner?! We aren't just going to leave it to these Daikaiju Riders are we?!

_The Past and the Present; Kamen Riders Old and New_

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_**  
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	11. Kamen Riders Old and New

Me: Yo, if ya'll haven't' noticed by now, this fic, unlike its predecessor, shall be updated bi-weekly. Why? Well, because I've found my time divided as of late.

Bahamut: That and you keep wanting to rewrite the damn chapters just after you finish them.

Me: Do you want the segment you wrote to still be in this chapter or not?

Bahamut: Shutting up.

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.  
**

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**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Past and the Present; Kamen Riders Old and New_

Monsters is, generally, a very loose term in basic application. A monster could, at best, describe a creature of minor annoyance and easily dispatched. At worst, a monster becomes a living natural disaster with no rhyme nor reason for its existence save, perhaps, for punishment towards man's sins. In their years of service, the Sailor Scouts encountered many monsters categorically called kaijin for both their humanoid size and appearance. Though the name and powers of these kaijin changed with every new enemy, the principle behind them remained the same. There were a threat but one that, with more strength gained, was easily taken care of.

For the Kamen Riders, both the Daikaiju Squadron and the Patriots, the monsters they dealt with was a constant enemy staring them down every time they took the power of monsters for themselves. Kaiju, the Japanese equivalent to the word "monster" but in proper context refers to a creature more beast than man and towering several stories high. Most kaiju are nothing more than overgrown animals and suffer from the same instincts of survival. The daikaiju were a whole separate league of their own, with a select few earning such titles as King, God, and Living Disaster. Only one ever earned the right to all three and more but that is a story for another time.

For Guardian Force, the monsters he fights, the Imagin, are likely the toughest to fight for one is not merely fighting a kaijin but could possibly fight a kaiju as well. As a whole, Imagin assume their forms thanks in small part to those they form a contract with but the power and skills they possess are all their own. As evident in Guardian Force's Imagin, most posses the power of elemental manipulation easily on par with the Sailor Scouts, if only during their beginning years, but these strengths are multiplied even more so during a rare moment in an Imagin's life. Though not all Imagin possess the skill, those that do can, upon death, reincarnate into a larger, more powerful form known as DeathGigas.

The DeathGigas resemble the Imagin only vaguely as whatever humanity the Imagin itself possessed is overcome by its beast-side. Easily the size of a kaiju, DeathGigas are made worse by the fact that they are further enhanced by cybertronic implantations. Where they came from or how the berserker-like monsters are able use to them so efficiently have yet to be discovered but whatever their source, the cybernetics only added to the danger of combating the DeathGigas. No one, not even Guardian Force, would ever consider the idea of attacking a fully-formed DeathGigas without one of the Chrono-Liners on their side.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

_ "Ugh… Kami-sama… what on earth hit me?"_

_"A whole lot of shit, Baka-teme."_

_"Ifrit…?"_

_"No, it's the tooth fairy, who the hell else stupid?"_

_"What happened…?"_

_"Shut up and I'll tell ya. Ya probably won't believe half of it; hell I don't believe most of it myself."_

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Gojira went over the situation in his head, '_The rookie is down, likely too injured to be possessed by one of those Imagin things so using those trains of his is out of the question. A civilian who knows more about what's going as she has fear only for the boy, I've got a Rider who is more likely to stab me in the back than cooperate with me, and I've got a daikaiju stomping right towards us. Not great odds but I've dealt with worse._'

The Black Rider looked towards the civilian. "Girl—"

"My name is Tifa." She interrupted, glaring at him. "And I'm not leaving Hiro."

'_The rookie._' Gojira thought. "And I can't allow him to escape, not without answering some questions first." He looked towards Zilla. "I know you have no reason to trust or help me, but you truly do care for the boy you'll me destroy that monster."

"Go to hell!" yelled the female Rider. "I care more about Hiro than I hate you!"

"I'll take that as a yes then. Activate your COS and assist me." Gojira turned and walked to the edge of the roof, his holo-spines glowing with power. Scowling beneath her helmet, Zilla wrenched her arm free from Tifa and followed after the Black Rider, twisting the K-Zector adorning her wrist around as she did so.

"Cast-On."

"CAST-ON!" An electronic voice echoed as neon light burst outwards from the small device. Zilla now stood with holographic tail and spines of her own though hers were shaped more like a shark's fin in reverse. "CHANGE ATOMIC REPTILE!"

The two Riders stood side by side glaring up at the approaching Knightmare DeathGigas before they raised their weapons up.

The barrel of Gojira's G-Force Cannon lit up with nuclear-blue light before a thick beam of power was fired from the weapon. "_Atomic Beam!_"

The "eyes" of Zilla's HEAT Blaster lit up with amber light before an emerald-colored tornado of radioactive fire was launched from its mouth. "_Righteous Fury!_"

The two attacks flew through the air with great speed and slammed directly into the Knightmare DeathGigas' chest, sending it back by half-a-step before it started pushing forward into the attacks despite the agony of its chest slowly melting underneath the inferno.

"It's not working!" grunted Zilla, straining to keep the power flowing into her Blaster.

"Put in everything you've got!" growled Gojira, his COS flickering from the strain.

The Knightmare DeathGigas finally grew tired of the pain and lifted its shield forward and stabbed its sword into the ground as the power of the Riders' attacks struggled to push it back.

"CAST-OFF!" The K-Zectors chorused as one, shutting the Cast-On System down and disabling the Riders' most powerful attacks.

"Great! Now what do we do?!" yelled Zilla as she panted for air. Gojira stood silently beside her, glaring up at the Knightmare DeathGigas. His visor was nothing like Rodan's own but even he could not miss the circuitry that circulated beneath the melted portions of the monsters armor like flesh.

'_It took both our attacks head-on and we only just managed to burn through its armor. Just what kind of monster is this?_' There suddenly came a strange whistling tune through the air that halted the DeathGigas' advance as it turned glaring red eyes towards the sky where a shimmering vortex appeared. Gojira's eyes widened beneath his helmet. '_A time portal?!_'

A sharp whistle like that of a train's came from within the portal before train-tracks appeared from within its shimmering surface followed shortly by a train that was completely unfamiliar to the two Riders but struck a familiar bell in Tifa.

"The… Proto-Liner?!" The train was made of only two cars, the engine and the caboose though neither looked anything of the sort. The engine of the train, the Yuna, was shaped rather like a rabbit fused with bullet train and had two long flat 'ears' curling along its length, and was colored with mixed shades of red and white. A total of five auto machine guns armed the front of the engine. The caboose, known as the Rinoa, was shaped more like a fighter-jet fused together with a dog blessed with an eagle's wings and was colored with shades of blue instead of red.

Gojira looked back at Tifa. "One of yours?"

"No!" she denied, "it was supposedly lost years ago!"

"Well, it looks like it found its way back." Zilla muttered as the Proto-Liner dove downwards towards the Knightmare DeathGigas, firing its machine guns straight into the berserker's face. Tifa watched with no small bit of trepidation. The Proto-Liner was a Chrono-Liner, like the Eido-Liner and its cars, but it was never designed to be used by Guardian Force. So it begged the question; just who, or what, had found and taken control of the first Chrono-Liner?

The Knightmare DeathGigas roared, swinging its sword high into the air to slice the speeding Proto-Liner which twisted tightly out of the way at the last moment, bullets flying and striking against the thick blade. Electricity suddenly sparked along the long metal blades running from the Yuna before they suddenly jutted forward and the time-train raced forward to slam straight into the berserker's torso, the electrified blades impaling it just beneath its armpits. The DeathGigas screamed in agony as it was lit up from within from the massive amount of electricity coursing through its body.

The Proto-Liner let loose another fierce whistle and shot skyward, pushing the Knightmare DeathGigas before it as a living shield against the growing cold until, at last, the monster was near frozen solid despite the lightning coursing through its veins. The train made another sharp turn and brought the monster back down towards the city. When it came close to crashing into the ground, the blades of the Yuna suddenly tore the DeathGigas in two, sending both pieces into sand on the wind. The Proto-Liner circled high above before turning and disappearing into another time portal.

"Impressive…" whispered Gojira, his eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. He was truthfully impressed with the pilot of the Proto-Liner, for it was difficult move to do. One that he recognized quite well. '_It seems there's more to this than what we've been told._'

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

_ "So… there's another Chrono-Liner out there?"_

_"No shit."_

_"Well, what happened after that?"_

_"Heheh. Oh this is where the good shit happens."_

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Eiji stood with the unconscious Hiro in his arms staring up at the clouds in resignation as Nicole fidgeted at his side. She looked to Tifa. "Are you sure—"

"For the last time, yes." Tifa glanced down at her watch. 1:11 and counting. "It's here."

Eiji felt his eyebrows rise in surprise at seeing the swirling sea of rainbows amidst a sky that was both day and night where once ordinary stairs resided. He watched in awed silence as the Eido-Liner pulled in at the open doorway and allowed them entry inside. Tifa stepped in without a word and, hesitantly, Eiji and Nicole followed her in.

"Welcome to Eido-Liner!" Nicole nearly jumped through the roof as Yuffie-chan suddenly appeared in front of her holding a tray of coffee. "Have a complimentary coffee!"

"Uh… Thank you?" Nicole hesitantly took the cup and stared at the strange, orange-tinted form in disgust.

Eiji's eyes were not on the offered coffee but the other denizens of the dining car, specifically, the four Imagin.

Ifrit growled and stood to his feet. "Hand over the baka-teme and no one will get hurt, Ryu-man."

Eiji repressed the urge to sigh. He was forever plagued with the nickname of "dragon" it would seem. He carefully set the unconscious Hiro down in one of the empty stalls. "I did not come here to fight. I came for answers."

Leviathan slithered forward to stand between Ifrit and Eiji. "To questionsss that I'm sssure we can anssswer sssince you are Hiro's hero, no pun intended."

Ifrit harrumphed and glared down at the sleeping Hiro. "Fine, but I don't have to like it."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

_"So we answered their questions and told them about as much as we thought you'd want them to know."_

_"But I didn't want Nicole to know anything in the first place!"_

_"Too bad kid, seems she knew more than she was letting on and that Gojira guy knew you by name through her already, so say goodbye to the damn secret identity bull-crap of yours."_

_"Oh kami-sama… what did you tell them? Specifically?"_

_"Who we were, what Imagin are, what we do, and all that other crap. Oh, and the fact that I can take him easy."_

_"I'm sure… and then?"_

_ "They left to take care of their own business. I'm sure we'll be seeing them real soon though."_

_"Why do you say that?"_

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Adam stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his copper eyes idly glancing over the piles of scrap metal with a tinge of hunger. He ignored the heated glares the bound J.D. sent his way. "If you had cooperated with them, they would not have had to tie you up like an animal."

"Shut up." J.D. snapped at the British youth.

Morisato sighed and looked to Shiro. "Are you sure I can't knock him out?"

The emerald-haired pacifist shook his head. "We need them all awake for this."

"Yeah, yeah. Hope Kusanagi hurries up and drags the little bitch back here already." Takuya groused from where he sat atop a broken car. "We got to get back before they notice we're gone."

"Then we best wrap this up quickly then." The group turned and saw Eiji Kusanagi approaching with a sullen Nicole at his side. Unlike J.D. and Jason, she was bound by a simple pair of handcuffs.

"Oy, where's the rookie?" asked Takuya.

Eiji glanced down at the girl beside him. "Later. For now, we deal with them." He shoved Nicole forward and she stumbled before falling flat on her face beside the bound J.D. and unconscious Young. "You can wake him up now, Shiro."

Shiro nodded and pressed a hand against Jason's forehead, his eyes glowing with mana for but a moment before the scarred boy groaned and slowly awoke. Shiro stepped back to stand alongside the rest of his squadron while Adam stood on his own side, all on his own.

"Ugh, what the hell…?" groaned Jason, slowly sitting up and wincing from the pain in his torso. His eyes suddenly snapped open. "ADAM!"

"Salutations, captain." Adam spoke dryly, "I'd suggest not moving for a while. I'm sure most of your injuries have yet to heal."

"Traitor!" screamed Jason. "You filthy backstabber! How dare you—"

"Shut up, Jason." Nicole hissed softly, halting his tirade before he could even begin. "Just shut up."

"Nicole!" gasped J.D., shocked that she would speak in such a manner to their leader. Well, more proud than shocked actually. It was about time that she finally stood up to Jason.

Eiji nodded lightly. "I'll be blunt with the three of you. Yes, it was thanks to Adam here that we knew about you being alive and in hiding. It was also thanks to Adam that we didn't come here to kill you. He begged for peace not just for himself but for you three as well and, as long as you Patriots kept out of the Kamen Rider business, we left you to your peace."

Shiro nodded in agreement. "We would have kept doing so too until another Kamen Rider appeared here in Heatherfield, one very different from ourselves."

"Guardian Force." Jason growled, hatred evident in his voice. "That pretender—"

SMACK!

Jason fell back, eyes wide from shock as a red handprint grew on his face. He stared up in shock at Nicole as she stood before him glaring with tears in her eyes and her handcuffs broken from her wrists. "Don't… Don't you DARE say such a thing about Hiro! He's more of a Kamen Rider than you ever were you lousy son-of-a-bitch!"

J.D. stared at Nicole then at the bruised Jason, who was growling in a rage. He suppressed the urge to smile at how the girl had managed to land such a punch on their leader. "Nicole, what are you doing?" He whispered fiercely to her, pretending to be offended by her actions when he felt more like cheering her on. She spared him a heated glare before turning her sights back on Jason.

"I'm standing up for my beliefs. Something I should have done from the beginning."

Adam stepped forward and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "As pleasing as it is to see you stand up for yourself, Nicole. There is more to be said here."

"Indeed." Eiji said. "I admit we were concerned with the rookie seeing as we knew next to nothing about who he is or what he can do but seeing as this city's been saved time and again thanks to his efforts in the past, we were willing to simply investigate him from afar. Eiji's eyes snapped to J.D. and the tanned boy gulped in fear. He could have sworn he saw the Monster King in the older boy's eyes.

"That is until you somehow managed to recreate the Vault with limited materials and only a third of the actual plans. It was because of the massive energy output of your recreation that we became completely involved." Eiji explained. "We could feel the damn thing's activation all the way in Japan."

"You owe me a ton of aspirin by the way, you gaijin-punk." Takuya groused at J.D., clutching at his forehead from the memory. "The headaches were a whole truckload of shit to deal with."

"You needn't worry over it any longer," said Adam. "It was destroyed in its first run. By Guardian Force ironically enough. Not surprising as they tested the device on him first."

"You don't have to sound so smug about it, traitor." J.D. muttered under his breath. "Didn't think it'd be too much a problem anyway, we were hoping to use it on the Imagin."

"You heard the rumors of what it took to seal the Daikaiju away," Shiro said to the bleach-blonde. "Were you two really ready to pay such a price?"

Nicole and J.D. both looked away, guilt on their faces, but Jason sat glaring unrepentantly at Eiji. "Any price is worth paying if it means the success of the mission. Sound familiar to you, Kusanagi?"

Eiji's eyes gained a faint reddish glow, his hand twitching towards his K-Zector. "Don't tempt me, Young." He looked to Nicole and J.D. "You two have a choice. You can continue living your lives as you have been, or you can share in Jason's sentence."

"Say what?" J.D. blinked in surprise. "You mean… you'll let us go? Even after we tried to kill you?"

Takuya snorted. "As if you could."

J.D. spared the Yashima a fierce glare before looking back at Eiji. "What's your game? You aren't just going to let us leave like nothing's ever happened."

Eiji nodded. "Consider this your parole. Of course, Adam will be acting as your parole officer and one of us will be dropping by to check up on you once and a while. None of us care to be involved with you anymore than you want to be involved with us. As long as you leave Guardian Force alone, there'll be no problems between us."

J.D. looked at Jason then to Nicole before settling his eyes on Eiji once more. "And all we gotta do is pick between ourselves and our leader?"

"That's right."

"… This isn't some kind of twisted mind-game is it?" J.D. suddenly asked. "Cause frankly, the only reason I stuck around is for Nicole and Adam. The bastard can go to hell for all I care."

"What?!" Jason roared. J.D. leveled a fierce glare at Jason. The boy's eyes gained a glow like hellfire as his rage grew at the older boy beside him.

"Did you really think that I'd never find out just whose fault it was for Project Cloverfield, _Captain_?" He missed the looks exchanged between the Japanese Riders. "You didn't think I'd have forgiven the loss of my family so easily did you? The only reason I didn't kill you myself was because we needed as many Kamen Riders as we could back in the old world.

"You call the rookie a pretender, well, I call you a faker! You only cared about being a Kamen Rider because it meant you could be a better bully than you were before. You never volunteered for the dangerous missions; you pushed them on the rest of us and look how many of us stand here for you now! You stood by and watched our world burn. Now we get to stand by and watch the same happen to you."

"Good answer, I'd say." Morisato smiled humorlessly at Eiji who nodded silently in agreement.

"Take them away but leave Young with me." Takuya grinned and grabbed J.D. by the steel cables keeping him bound and happily dragged him out of the scrap yard with the tanned boy cursing him loudly the entire time, demanding he be allowed to witness Jason's punishment. Morisato and Shiro stepped up to Nicole who spared one last hateful glare at Eiji and Jason both before following after J.D. Adam stood for a long moment, looking at the sole Kusanagi. He shook his head and turned away silently walking after the others.

Jason watched them go, pure fury radiating in his eyes. "So after all those talks of self-righteousness, you turn out as much the executioner that your father was, eh Kusanagi?"

Eiji's eyes narrowed but he didn't rise to the bait. "Your entire team has turned their backs on you and that's all that you have left to say? I honestly had better hopes for you Jason." Eiji shook his head and sighed. "As of today, the animosity between Kong and Gojira ends. I've no desire to kill you nor will I do so. I let your fate fall on the decision of someone whom has every right to judge you for the crimes you and your father have committed. I imagine this will be a bitter reunion between you two." Eiji walked past the glowering Jason and left, wanting nothing more to do with his old rival.

The dark-skinned youth watched him go in fuming silence before he turned his attention to the ropes that bound him. There suddenly came the sound of footsteps and Jason looked up, a small spark of hope in his eyes. A hope that was quick to wither and die as fear began to overtake his heart at the sight before him. It was a young boy, no older than fourteen at the very most with dark gray hair and skin like alabaster, but his eyes… oh but his eyes were like black holes in his skull, belaying the monster within.

Though he was as much an American as Jason, the boy bowed in the traditional form of Japanese greeting and spoke with a tired breath, "Konnichi wa, youshi-oniisan."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

_Ifrit grinned wolfishly. "Call it a hunch, Baka-teme. _

_"Sigh, alright… Wait a minute, what about Bahamut-sama?_

_"What about that stuck-up bastard?"_

_"What happened to him?"_

_"… Don't know really. For all we know he could be dead since he was 'born' with the baby and all that crap."_

_"D-Dead? But… what about the baby?"_

_"We dropped her off at her home shortly after those Kamen Riders of yours left. Now shut up and rest a little would ya? Your apartments likely to look like shit by now."_

_Hiro sighed tiredly and leaned back against his chair. "Likely so." He couldn't believe that Bahamut was dead, as strong as the Imagin was the idea seemed nearly impossible._

_"Hey, cheer up! It ain't like shit's going to get worse, right?" _

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FEBRUARY 11, 1999

"There is more to this than I had first assumed of you, boy."

The schoolyard was bustling with students eager to find friends and familiar faces amidst the crowds to better enjoy the luncheon hour while it lasted. So many junior high students, familiar with the daily life of living in a city fraught with constant peril. Even though Tokyo was by no means Juuban, the district still laid within the city's borders and as such, the students should, at the very least, be a bit more wary of their surroundings. As it was, not one of them every thought to look up for, if they had, they'd have seen a marvelous sight.

For there, atop the highest flagpole where Japan's flag floated gently on the wind alongside Tokyo's own, stood a creature of ancient myth. A monster of fantastical origin whose legend touched every major culture of this earth, whose kind flown majestically over all seven continents. To those of the past and that which could be called the present, he was what would be called a dragon.

To those of the future, he was an Imagin.

Blue eyes narrowed amidst scales of fine platinum. Their reptilian irises seemed to shrink as the Dragon Imagin gazed down at the pair of students that had earned his attention. One was a girl, rather tomboyish if her short hair were of any indication. She was talking rather excitedly to the one walking beside her, but stopped at his whispered words as a pleased blush spread across her nose. Smiling, she kissed him on the cheek, earning an embarrassed flush from the lad.

Bahamut's wings spread wide on his back, casting his shadow down upon the pair but by the time their eyes gazed skyward, he was already gone; a shadow on the wind. He saw the two as they were, more so than any of the humans could. The girl was special, almost as special as the boy but then, how could she compare to Hiroyuki Kaneda. The same Hiroyuki Kaneda who would become Kamen Rider Guardian Force.

And yet he remained as the same fourteen year old boy nearly five years into the future.

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Hiro:_ Life has finally gone back to normal. At least as normal as it can get at any rate. With Bahamut-sama's passing, I've taken up a training regime to become a better Rider, to truly earn the title. Hopefully, I can survive the others' version of "help"… That strange girl I keep seeing around Heatherfield though… is she spying on me? Wait, is that what I think it is?! Could she be—

_The Prototype Warrior; Kamen Rider Aeon_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **For those who've read this fic's predecessor, you are no doubt aware of where the Patriots' powers come from but you are likely wondering as to who they are. At least in concerns to two of their members they being Fantastica and Galgameth. To start with the later, Galgameth draws his power from a draconic creature of the same name. The film, "The Adventures of Galgameth" while admittedly aimed at a childhood-aged audience, was one of the few good kaiju films America's produced outside of Kong and the recent Cloverfield but never saw the light of the silverscreen and so faded to direct-to-video obscurity. Not wanting to go through the entire movie, I'll just give a basic overview as to the monster's abilities since the film is extremely hard to find, both to watch or to simply read a decent summary.

Galgameth is a creature that was already sealed inside a small statue, him actually being the inspiration of the Kaiju Spirit Stones, and is awakened via the tears from a member of the royal family in which he is the guardian of. Starting out quite miniscule in size and stature, the creature grows in size and strength via the consumption of metal. Galgameth has proven to be immune to fire and high temperatures, actually turning into a molten, fire-breathing version of his metallic self, and he can redirect the flow of lightning. At his full grown size, somewhere around 100 plus feet, Galgameth was able to catch a cannonball in his mouth a fire bullets like one would with watermelon seeds. His skin is as strong as the metal he eats but his one true weakness is a weakness shared by most metals. As spoken in the legend of Galgameth, "that which gave him life, shall take him back in death". Basically, salt water is to Galgameth what hydro-chloric acid is to humans.

As for Fantastica, he is also based on an American kaiju, one that I'm not surprised that anyone didn't recognize as both the kaiju is elder only to Cloverfield and only slightly less obscure than Galgameth, especially since I changed his name for his Kamen Rider self. However, as he is more well known than Galgameth and easily researchable I shall only give his true name. Giganotosaurus Fantasticus AKA G-Fantis.

Check out the KaijuSamurai on deviantArt to see the "Neo-rized" version of the fan-monster.


	12. The Prototype Warrior

Me: Sorry for the delay in chapter uploading folks! A few faulty connections with the site and all that whatnot.

Bahamut: Excuses, excuses.

Mewtwo: You know you were distracted by fanfictions again.

Me: Kamen Rider Decade actually. Odd name, but meh. I like it.

Bahamut: Which one is that?

Poupoko: (The new one, with the "copycat".)

Me: Copycat though he may be, it is the "Infinite Crisis" of the Kamen Riders.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

* * *

**_If you're tumbling down and your spirits fall  
Help's on the way  
We hear your call_

_On a mission we're united as one  
Friends forever  
(Yeah)  
Here we come_

_In no time we'll be at your side  
(In no time)  
We're a team on a rollercoaster ride  
Each one of us knows just what to do  
Never gonna stop  
(Gonna stop)  
Searching for you  
(For you)_

_Baby ,listen to me  
Searching for you  
(Oh, for you)  
We're gonna set you free_

_Coming to the rescue  
Get there in a hurry  
(Rescue)  
Baby, don't you worry  
(Rescue)  
This adventure's heating up  
I'll rescue you and if I do you gotta rescue me_

_So if you're lost  
One thing is true  
Never gonna stop looking for you  
You're not alone  
So have no doubt  
We'll put our heads together  
Gonna figure it out_

_Oh!  
Baby, listen to me  
We're gonna  
Gonna set you free_

_Coming to the rescue  
Get there in a hurry  
(Rescue)  
Baby, don't you worry  
(Rescue)  
This adventure's heating up  
I'll rescue you and if I do you gotta rescue me_

* * *

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Prototype Warrior; Kamen Rider Aeon_

The Kraken Imagin couldn't believe its luck. First there had just been that one Rider, Guardian Force to deal with and then BAM! Suddenly the city was overrun with them and then BAM AGAIN! It was down to none just as quickly! It had assumed it could get away with granting its contract holder's wish without a hitch but now it was running for its life from an unlikely predator.

"Stay away from me!" It howled, twisting its upper body around and shooting ink from its tentacles. The lithe figure easily leapt over the slippery fluid and landed in front of the frightened Imagin.

"Jeez," The figure spoke, revealing its nature as a young female, possibly in her teenage years. "I can't believe I'm wasting one on a weak monster like you."

The Kraken Imagin burbled angrily. "Who are you?!"

"Me?" She pulled a small red and blue card from her belt as an ocarina-like tune began to play. "You can call me your executioner. Start game!" She slipped the card into her belt's buckle.

"MAGUS FORM!"

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From the highest roof of the Institute, one could almost picture themselves as gods looking over the world as though it was their own playing field. For one such as Hiro, it wasn't any such thing as godhood that placed itself in his heart. In the months since he had become Guardian Force, Hiro had seen many bad things happen to good people thanks to the Imagins that threatened the present alongside the past but Hiro had never had the terror, the despair, of actually losing someone in this… war? Yes, he supposed war was the best term for it.

Though he hadn't ever said so aloud, Hiro saw his Imagin as more than partners in becoming Guardian Force. They were his friends, his… family… and though he did not know Bahamut for long, Hiro still felt as though he had lost a part of himself with the Dragon Imagin's death. Had it really been a mere week since that day? It felt like more to the rookie Kamen Rider.

"I wasn't strong enough to support him… or any of the others. Aside from my body, I'm just deadweight." Hazel eyes narrowed with a determined gleam. "Not anymore. I won't be a burden any longer!"

He stood proudly and made his way back down the stairs into the Institute with a plan forming in his mind when he stopped as someone made their way up the stairs. Hiro stood to the side and watched silently as the girl walked up the stairs in silent wonder. Her hair was a blazing white and her skin was as supple as fresh milk, marking her as an albino, if at least partially so. Her eyes were closed as she walked past and as he had other thoughts on his mind; Hiro never once looked back over his shoulder to see a single pink eye gazing after him alongside an orb of emerald green.

"So… you're the one he wants." She mused softly, her voice like silk. "Hiroyuki Kaneda…"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Eh?! Special training?" Ifrit cocked his head in surprise, a fire in his crimson-colored eyes.

Hiro nodded. "We're Guardian Force after all… We have to become stronger."

The other three Imagin crowded closer with Leviathan standing tall over Ifrit's shoulders. "One mussst build up the body before fighting or fishing." He mused, tapping his pipe on the open air.

Behemoth recalled the tremendous power Bahamut-sama had displayed; it was enough to make him cry. He sat back and crossed his muscular arms over his chest, towering over them all. "This strength isn't enough for tears!"

Carbuncle bounced off the Beast Imagin's head to stand between Ifrit's grand horns. "Unless ya're strong, ya can't play either. Chu!"

"I live for this shit!" crowed Ifrit. "Everyone, let's do this!"

"Oy!"

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A day later, Hiro barely had the strength to pull his aching body into the school grounds. As it was, he only just managed to reach the steps leading into the main hall before he had to collapse from exhaustion. '_I believe I'll just lie here for the rest of my life and then, I shall die peacefully…_' He hadn't worn his skates, fearing that he'd let gravity take its course and end up falling on his face from exhaustion. All he wanted to do now was to lie there in peace.

Too bad fate had other plans.

"Hiro? Are you okay?"

'_I'm dying… and all I hear are stupid questions…_' Hiro thought rather bitterly to himself before he realized just who was speaking to him. His hazel eyes widened in surprise as his face flushed in embarrassment. "Will!"

The red-haired girl was staring down at him with concern and Hiro felt himself immensely thankful that his Imagin partners were still mostly asleep this early in the morning. He didn't need another one of Leviathan's flirtations to fly out of control.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Hiro hastily stood to his feet. "Just tired from a little training is all…"

Will tilted her head, confused. "Training? I thought you weren't into martial arts, Hiro?"

The dark-haired transfer student chuckled nervously, tugging at the base of his ponytail. "Changed my mind I guess…"

"Huh. This wouldn't have anything to do with your recent absence and Nicole's transfer would it?" Will asked slyly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Hiro winced and looked down at the ground guiltily. Thanks to his hiding out from Nicole's family and more recent recovery, he had missed some days of school but fortune favored him in good friends like Maximum and Linus who'd helped him with the work he had missed. By the time he had been well enough to return, Nicole had left the school. He had, hesitantly, gone to her home to seek her out if only to make some kind of resolution but had found it abandoned and empty save for a letter with his name on it.

He still hadn't dared to open it.

"Nicole and I were… are good friends, Will. My only regret is that I didn't get to say goodbye." He answered her truthfully; completely clueless as to Nicole's real feelings towards him as well as how happy Will looked with that information.

"I'm sure she regrets it too, Hiro."

"Yeah…" He glanced up towards the clock face. "Shall we head to class?"

Will smiled brightly. "Let's!"

The two headed into the school unaware of the eyes watching them in narrowed jealousy, blazing pink and dark emerald.

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Isn't there anything you can do, Conductor?" Tifa asked the elder man as he sat in his usual seat, drinking his cup of tea. Tifa looked back over her shoulder and glared at the tired Imagin from where they sat, slouching over their tables. "Those idiots are likely going to get Hiro killed at this rate!" she muttered under her breath. The Ima-tachi couldn't agree on who should head the training as so decided to do all of them at once. Needless to say, the five of them, Hiro included, felt the results all too well.

The Conductor of the Eido-Liner set his cup down. "You needn't worry yourself. Hiro will be getting the proper training sooner than you think."

Tifa didn't want to argue with the man but she couldn't help but feel concerned. "But Conductor, who?"

The man smiled, tapping his cane on the ground. "Someone very interesting I'm sure."

"Huh?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You Hiroyuki Kaneda?"

"Ah?" Hiro looked up in surprise. School was over at last and he had been walking towards home, hoping that Dr. Martinez had made another batch of her delicious chocolate chip cookies, when this older boy stopped him. "Yes…?"

The older boy glared down at him with dark blue eyes, his pale brown hair tied into a tight ponytail that fell just past his shoulders. He wore a large red trench coat; not surprising considering the weather was turning colder with the oncoming winter. His hands were covered in fingerless gloves and—Hiro blinked in surprise. Was that a sword strapped to his waist.

"Goddamned waste of time… damn Kusanagi and damn Sensei…" The boy grumbled under his breath before turning his attention back on the younger boy. "Name's Ya… aw, forgot it's backwards here. Takuya Yashima. Starting today, you're going to be calling me, Sempai."

"Eh? Why?" Was this some new student deciding to make threats on him or something?

_"If he is, can I kick his ass?!"_ Ifrit growled eagerly.

Takuya held up his right wrist, revealing the futuristic wristwatch that was in truth, something far more dangerous and powerful. "According to my thrice-damned commander, it's my duty as a Kamen Rider to look out for ya, but seems like my Sensei had other ideas. Starting today, brat, you're going to be trained under Kamen Rider Rodan."

Hiro stared wide-eyed at Takuya for a long moment that the samurai poked him hard in the shoulder to respond only to watch him fall flat on his back in a dead faint. Takuya groaned and shook his head.

"Why the fuck did I agree to this again?" A certain blonde came to mind and Takuya growled low in his throat though he had a pleased blush on his face. "Damn it. The runt's right. I am whipped."

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From the highest building stood a feminine figure, balancing rather precariously atop the skyscraper's imposing radio antennae. Of course, she had no need for concern was the large avian wings that spread themselves wide from her honey-blonde locks kept her balance perfect and though she wore nothing in the way of clothing; her decency was covered by conveniently placed feathers. Save for these feathers and wings, the woman was quite human in appearance though she was anything but. In her hands she held a golden harp, which she began to strum as she hummed quietly under her breath.

"So you wish it, so shall it be," whispered the Siren Imagin as she began to cast her spell.

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Hiro had at first been positively elated to have one of the original Kamen Riders training him but now… now he was seriously wondering about his sanity, that is his own as well as Takuya's. Takuya, or Sempai as he insisted on being called during training, had taken Hiro into one of the local warehouses that sat near Heatherfield Bay. Apparently, Takuya had not only rented it out for the remainder of the year, but had somehow turned it into a miniature training field from ancient times complete with a lake and a miniature mountain. More than that, he, or rather Kamen Rider Mosura and Battra, had managed to find a spell-glyph or two that would allow the Imagin their full bodies inside of the building.

The Yashima was having them stand in a line before him now, with Hiro in the middle and his Imagin partners standing beside him. Takuya's eyes were narrowed and glaring with heated venom at the group. "Before we begin, I want to know what you lot can do."

"Eh?" Hiro blinked in surprise and Takuya's scowl deepened.

"What the hell can you idiots do that makes you think you can be a Kamen Rider?"

"Ah… ano…"

Ifrit growled, pushing down on Hiro's head. "Did you forget already, Baka-teme? The days we've fought together! Hiro and I work together to create Fist Form!" boasted the Hellhound Imagin. "Our fist-fighting techniques are unbeatable and my mastery of fire is unmatched! My hissatsu attack, Hell Fire, will make you regret crossing with me!"

Leviathan hissed in amusement, taking a long breath from his pipe. "Mine isss Rod Form. Using a fishing ssspear and sssmart play, I can reel in any Imagin. My hissatsu attack isss the Tsunami, a fitting name if there every wasss one for a Water Elementalist like myssself."

Behemoth grunted, cracking his neck. "Hammer Form's strength is not to be underestimated. Our strength is great as the mountain stone for I am an Earth Elementalist. Our hissatsu attack is Meteor. Truly, its strength could make you cry."

"Chu!" Carbuncle leapt up and balanced atop Hiro's head. "Disc Form! Leave magic an' dancin' ta me, chu! I can defeat 'em wit' a bang, yeah?! Can't hear you!"

Takuya glared at the Mini Imagin before settling his glare over them each in turn. He started walking towards the wall which held many varieties of weapons. "You will meet me here swiftly every evening at five o'clock on the hour. No sooner, no later. Anyone who does otherwise will answer to me."

Ifrit grinned, revealing several sharp fangs as small embers danced in his mane to show his amusement. "Oooh… tough guy." He muttered sarcastically.

"Ifrit." Takuya turned, a bow in hand and an arrow cocked tight in the other. Hiro and the other Imagin hastily took a step back as the Hellhound Imagin stared in surprise at the human only to watch as Takuya shot the arrow high up to pierce the topmost portion of a large log upturned to nearly reach the ceiling of the warehouse. Takuya grinned evilly. "Thanks for volunteering. Fetch the arrow, mutt."

Ifrit growled low in his throat, cracking his knuckles. "I'll get you that arrow, bishonen… and I'll shove it right up that smug face of yours!" Ifrit stood beneath the log and prepared to climb along its wooden surface easily with his claws when Takuya spoke up.

"One moment. You're missing something." Takuya held up a pair of weights that, from their size, appeared to be a little over fifty pounds with pieces of strong fabric. He tied one to Ifrit's right wrist, grinning ferally as the hidden runes began to pulse with magic power. He lifted Ifrit's arm up. "This represents strength." He dropped Ifrit's arm and the Hellhound Imagin with it. Takuya tied the other weight to Ifrit's left arm. "And this represents discipline." He dropped Ifrit again and stepped forward to regard his remaining "students". "You'll need both to take the arrow."

Ifrit growled low in his throat, sparing a glance at the weights and wondering just how the hell they could be so damn heavy. He glared up at the arrow and leapt, landing midway up the log. Grinning, he started to climb higher when he realized he couldn't lift his arms because of the heavy weights, which were even now dragging him back to the ground. The Hellhound Imagin left a long series of claw marks down the length of the log before he fell flat on his back on the ground.

Thankfully for Ifrit's sense of pride, the other Imagin had no better luck than he did. Leviathan had tried to curl upwards along the log and was only able to get a quarter of the way up. Behemoth nearly toppled the log over and had gained higher ground than Ifrit but he too succumbed to the heavy weights and nearly fell on top of the others. Carbuncle couldn't get past the three-foot mark and Hiro… well, he certainly did no better than Ifrit but he had the better luck of landing on his behind.

Takuya's feral grin was a bit strained and there was a slight twitch in his right eye. '_Damn… This is going to take a lot of work…_'

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Strolling down the streets as he was earned him few strange looks at both his uniquely unusual appearance and that of his canine companion. The little beast looked like a creature from ancient legends past, a shishi. Roughly translated, it meant stone lion, something this canine-sized creature obviously was not for it lived and breathed as any living creature would.

The man himself, if he could be called that, towered a good eight feet tall, made taller by the wooden sandals on his feet, and he was built rather like a tree; long and wide. He wore the garb of a samurai with a large sleeved gi colored a vast array of yellows, purples, and reds. But it was his flesh that made him odd for it was no weak skin that covered his body but hardened metals of gold and bronze from the tips of his fingers to the mask that made up his face, which lay hidden beneath the wide-brimmed hat adorning his head. His hair was like fine silver and was tied like a horse's tail down along his back. Within the billows of his gi, one could see the hilt of a wakizashi and the occasional glint of knife-shaped steel.

Still, despite the apparent oddity of the strange duo of man and dog, it was not truly enough to warrant the strange looks they would likely have received on any normal day. As it was, the duo themselves were the ones watching in mild fascination as passerby danced past, singing to the music that changed within their ears to suit them best. The Ronin was not immune to the sounds and he too was tempted to sing alongside the beautiful melodies but he kept himself silent as a stronger will battled with the spell.

He had a job to do and he'd do it without making a complete fool of himself. No matter the pay, there was not enough money in the entire world to make one such as him sing, let alone dance to some merry jig. Still, despite his hardened refusal, the Ronin could not help but hum softly under his breath, "Money (That's What I Want)".

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"The Proto-Liner has returned." The Conductor whispered, his eyes closed as he took a generous sip of tea. "How very interesting… it was supposedly lost a long time ago."

"But it's been found now Conductor." Tifa said. "But how could it be piloted? I thought Guardian Force was the only Kamen Rider we had."

The Conductor chuckled, amused by the girl's thinking. "No, I am afraid that is not the case entirely. Like all things created by man, there first must always be the first experimentation, a prototype if you will."

"A prototype?" asked Tifa.

"Yes. Guardian Force is not the first of the Chrono-Riders but he is indeed the last one. He and the Eido-Liner are the 'final products' of the Chrono-Rider Systems." The Conductor explained.

"So… the Proto-Liner is the first of the Chrono-Liners?" Tifa asked. "Then, there's more than one?"

The Conductor paused. "The Eido-Liner itself can be considered as five separate trains united as one, so yes. You may assume such, Tifa."

"Then… does that mean that one of the other Chrono-Riders is piloting the Proto-Liner, Conductor?"

The Conductor remained silent for a long moment. "There is only one rider capable of using the Proto-Liner, and that is the Prototype Rider himself. Kamen Rider Aeon."

"Kamen Rider… Aeon…?" whispered Tifa, a spark of memory across her mind. A burning city of glass and crystals. Then, it was gone, dust on the wind, and a new concern arose in her. "Is Aeon stronger than Guardian Force?"

Conductor set his cup down on its plate and turned to look directly into Tifa's eyes. "That, my dear child, remains to be seen."

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Takuya glared at his group of students in turn as he watched them perform their styles of martial arts. **_"Let's get down to business to defeat these bums! Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?"_** He shook his head in disgust. **_"You're the saddest bunch I ever met but you can bet before we're through."_** He flew past Hiro's attempt of a high kick and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. **_"Mister, I'll make a man out of you._**

**_"Tranquil as a forest…"_** Ifrit was balancing on a small pole in the middle of the pool with one foot raised and his muscular arms held out for better balance atop the thin rod. He spared a disgusted glare into the water which quickly turned to shock as a school of piranha suddenly leapt to the attack.

"HOLY FU—"

**_"But on fire within…"_** Leviathan was twirling his battle-staff tightly around his form, striking at the clay plates that were being shot at him from all directions. It only got harder as the plates were being fired with increasing speed with some having small electrical batteries charged and ready to give the Serpent Imagin a powerful shock should he miss which, unfortunately, he did.

Smoking slightly, Leviathan fell onto his back. "Ow…"

**_"Once you find your center…"_**

"Ha!" Behemoth was practicing sumo-styled attacks against the base of the miniature mountain. His goal was to create a tunnel straight through it without bringing the mountain down on top of him. While this was his goal, the Beast Imagin had forgotten that mountains, no matter the size or realism, tended to have a few boulders and one begins to fall it often creates a domino effect. Behemoth looked up just in time to get a face full of rock before the rest began to collapse down upon him.

"Ouch…"

**_"You are sure to win…"_** Carbuncle giggled to himself as he ran in the giant hamster wheel Takuya had tossed him into after catching the Mini Imagin trying to run away. At first, Carbuncle hadn't wanted to train, at least not under Takuya's insane methods, and when he saw the wheel he had been highly offended by the comparison. However, having now run quite a few laps in the wheel, Carbuncle was beginning to see the appeal of the exercise. That is, until the wheel began increasing speed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Carbuncle cried shortly after he tripped and gripped the wheel for dear life as it began to spin faster and faster.

**_"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot!"_** roared Takuya as he glared at the injured Hiro and Ima-tachi. Ifrit was sporting massive bite marks and chunks of his fur were missing while Leviathan still occasional sparked electricity like an electric eel. Behemoth had bumps on top of bumps covering his head and his mane, once a proud yellow, was now dirty with mud and grit. Poor Carbuncle was lying face down on the ground, too sick to move. Hiro had several bruises forming on his body from his "spar" with Takuya. **_"And you haven't got a clue!"_** The Yashima shook his head. **_"Somehow I'll make a man out of you!"_**

**_"I'm never gonna catch my breath!"_** gasped Hiro as he ran for his life from the flaming arrows that Takuya was shooting at him via several automated crossbows. By the time he crossed the finish line, Hiro would be in a serious need of new clothes, perhaps even a new last will-and-testament.

**_"Say good-bye to those who knew me!"_** Ifrit was doing a similar exercise but instead of flaming arrows, he was dodging large balloons filled with near ice-cold water, something the Hellhound Imagin loathed more than anything else. He nearly made it to the finish line when a bomb managed to strike him straight in the face. "GOD DAMN IT!"

**_"Boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym."_** Carbuncle was struggling to push a large rock easily three times his size up the miniature mountain when he suddenly lost his footing and proceeded to quickly run screaming from the boulder that threatened to crush him flat. "CHU!"

**_"This guy's got me scared to death!"_** Leviathan was twisting and turning amidst a seemingly empty field that was actually filled with several weighted poles that could pop up out of nowhere. The Serpent Imagin didn't even get the chance to dodge when one struck him straight in between the legs.

**_"Hope he doesn't see right through me." _**Carbuncle had finally had enough and was trying to sneak away under the veil of 'Diamond Light'. He was halfway out the door when Takuya grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, grinning with feral delight at the Mini Imagin's obvious fear. The swordsman tossed Carbuncle back into the warehouse, aided by a small tornado that sent the Mini Imagin flying. "Mommy!"

**_"Now I really wish that I knew how to swim!"_** Behemoth was trying to jump his way across the lake via a series of large floatation pads that could hold his weight provided he land dead center. However, while the purple Imagin was physically the strongest of them, he was also an Earth Elementalist and as such, had a little trouble involving water in that he sinks. Like a rock. Really it was no surprise that he hadn't moved beyond the first few floating pads, tipping back and forth as he nervously sought a solid stance.

**_"We must be swift as the coursing river!"_** chanted Hiro as he ran along the track course, this time weighed down with weighted clothing. He was dodging random attacks delivered to him by his Imagin as they fought against each other and sought to earn "points" by striking/defending the human boy. Leviathan zipped past him, nicking him at the shoulder with his staff.

**_"With all the force of a great typhoon!"_** Behemoth slapped the Serpent Imagin back before bellowing in rage as Carbuncle pulled back on his mane, aided by "_Topaz Light!_" which increased his physical strength to equal Ifrit's own at the very least. Speaking of the Hellhound Imagin…

**_"With all the strength of a raging fire!"_** Ifrit howled as streams of fire danced along his arms, condensing into large burning orbs in his claws that he threw straight at Hiro. The boy ran past the attacks and turned his head to see Ifrit's attack strike the other three down in a charcoal glory. Of course, with his attention elsewhere, Hiro tripped over his own two feet and fell flat on his face.

**_"Mysterious as the dark side of the moon…"_** he groaned pitifully.

**_"Time is racing towards us till these bums arrive!"_** growled Takuya, watching as they ran laps with weight-bearing poles pressing down hard upon their backs. **_"Heed my every order and you might survive!"_**

That evening, Hiro was just starting out the door towards home, looking for his backpack and skates when they were tossed straight at him by a disappointed Takuya. **_"You're unsuited for the rage of war, so pack up, go home, you're through."_** The last Yashima shook his head, walking away into the shadows of Heatherfield's growing dusk. **_"How could I make a man out of you?"_** Hiro watched him go before his eyes fell down to the backpack in his hands. His hazel eyes drifted over towards the wooden pole, the arrow still impaled at its zenith.

**_"We must be swift as the coursing river."_** Hiro tried to climb barehanded up along the pole with the golden weights holding him down. He made it a little past his earlier spot but fell back down once more. Groaning in pain, he sat up and lifted an arm up to glance at the weight. An idea suddenly formed in his mind.

**_"With all the force of a great typhoon!"_** Ifrit could sense that Hiro was still awake and, deciding to spy on his contract holder, arrived in the warehouse to see Hiro making good distance up the wooden pole. Ifrit's jaw dropped at how Hiro had somehow spun the weights tight around each other in such a way that he had a single tight rope to help pull himself upwards towards the arrow.

**_"With all the strength of a raging fire."_** Leviathan smiled, puffing away at his pipe as Carbuncle cheered loudly for Hiro to continue on. Behind them, Behemoth rumbled in pleasure at his contract holder's increased strength. The four Imagin looked to one another and grinned.

**_"Mysterious as the dark side of the moon."_** Takuya stepped into the warehouse and blinked when an arrow suddenly impaled the ground at his feet. He looked up towards the pole and smirked at seeing Hiro sitting wearily at its top with his Imagin partners standing below, waiting to catch him in case he fell.

**_"We must be swift as the coursing river."_** Ifrit raced along the track, dodging arrows and water balloons galore. As he reached the halfway point, he fell down onto all fours and increased speed, leaving a burning trail of fire in his wake as he crossed the finish line completely unscathed.

**_"With all the force of a great typhoon!"_** Leviathan carefully held his staff, watching as the boulder came bearing down upon him. At the last possible second, he leapt upwards, spinning tightly and slapping his weapon against the boulder as a large blade of water formed at its tip. The Serpent Imagin landed lightly on his webbed feet as the boulder spun out into two perfect halves behind him.

**_"With all the strength of a raging fire_**." Behemoth held Carbuncle up lightly in his paws and, looking down once more at the Mini Imagin for conformation, the Beast Imagin launched the small creature forward, across the surface of the pool. The piranha leapt at the supposedly weak prey when Carbuncle's gem activated in shining sapphire light, electrocuting them into submission. Landing on the other side, Carbuncle beckoned for Behemoth who lightly leapt from pad to pad until he was beside his miniscule friend.

**_"Mysterious as the dark side of the moon."_** Takuya and Hiro were fighting unarmed with Takuya acting on the offensive while Hiro tried to block/dodge his strikes. Imagine Takuya's surprise when the younger boy not only managed to dodge one his punches, but managed to actually land a hit of his via a high spin kick. Takuya stumbled back, rubbing his jaw in surprise before smiling with pride. Suddenly his eyes widened and, accompanied by a sound not unlike a record being scratched to a halt, loudly yelled.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" He grabbed Hiro by the scruff of his shirt. "Did we just do… a musical montage?!"

Confused, and slightly concerned at the manic look in Takuya's eyes, Hiro nodded hesitantly. "I… I think we did."

Takuya's scowl deepened. "Imagin?"

"Quite likely?" Hiro glanced over towards his Imagin who looked as confused as he was over their recent behavior. Well, truthfully, Leviathan and Behemoth looked confused, Carbuncle appeared to not care and was bouncing around to something only he could hear and Ifrit was almost aflame with rage. He hated being made out as a fool and making him sing and dance was a big no-no on his list.

"Right. Since I ain't allowed ta interfere with your work, you damn well better promise me that you'll kick that thing's ass from here to hell and back again before finishing it off! Got it memorized?"

"Yes!"

Takuya tightened his grip. "Yes what, Kohai?"

"Yes, Sempai!"

"Then get out there and kick some ass!"

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"Sing! Sing your little hearts out! Let the world be filled with music!" The Siren Imagin twirled, accidentally dodging a blast of fire. "What?! Who dares?!"

"I dare chicken-bitch!" Guardian Force Fist Form cracked the knuckles of his Ali-Shar gauntlets, fire sparking along the length of his grand horns. "I live for this shit!" he crowed as he leapt skyward to tackle the Siren Imagin head-on only to be blown back by a gust of wind. G-Force FF landed on all fours, the claws of the Ali-Shar leaving deep gouges in the roof as the winged monster kept up her attack, her wings flapping to maintain it.

"Back, foul beast!" cried the Siren Imagin, her harp held tightly in her hands. "No man shall ever touch me!"

"Then how about a woman?"

"Eh?" G-Force FF looked and saw the familiar face, one that Hiro had seen quite often as of late. _"Oi, Hiro, who the hell is that?!"_

_"The new girl at the Institute… I never caught her name…"_

Indeed it was the same pseudo-albino from before, her pale hair tied in a tight ponytail along her back. She looked up in disgust at the Siren Imagin, snorting and crossing her arms under her generously sized chest. "Pfeh. Another weakling monster and a streaker to boot."

"What?!" screeched the Siren Imagin, her voice not sounding quite as heavenly as before. "How dare you! Who are you?!"

"Me? You can call me your executioner." A mechanical belt much like Guardian Force's own materialized around her waist. She pulled a small red and blue colored card from a compartment on the belt as an ocarina-like tune began to play. "Start game!" She slipped the card on its red side into her belt's buckle, which turned to form a stylized "M".

"MAGUS FORM!" A cocoon of light surrounded her before shattering into dust on the wind. She wore a black bodysuit like Guardian Force but her armor resembled those found in fantastical novels befitting those of war mages. Stylized like the armor of a wizard, splashes of sapphire, ruby, and topaz decorated the length of the arms while dark emerald dominated the rest. Her helmet resembled those of an ancient knight, grilled with only a faint hint of the dark green lenses beneath them.

_"It can't be… another Rider like me…?"_

"Damn it, they just pop up out the damn woodwork!" growled G-Force FF. He stomped over to the new Rider, getting right in her face as he had the height advantage. "There ain't no place for you here! Get lost!"

"You are in my way." She reached up and grabbed the Crimson Fire Rider by the horn. "Please move." She tossed him aside with ease, causing great damage to Ifrit's pride. She reached down to the holster attached to her hip and whipped out a small gun, twirling the weapon lightly on her finger before catching it and aiming it straight at the Siren Imagin's head. "Let me warn you from the start, I've danced with the devil in the pale moonlight. Compared to him, you're nothing."

The Siren Imagin's eyes narrowed, her wings curling down and covering her body from view. "You're Guardian Force's comrade?!"

"Me… a comrade?" She shook her head as though sad by the idea. "What a joke. I am myself! I am Kamen Rider Aeon!"

The Siren Imagin smirked. "I'll be sure to have it engraved on your tombstone!" She plucked at her harp, sending an energized wave of sound. Aeon MF jumped above the attack and kept moving, dodging the attack every time it came her way. Eventually landing on the far side of the roof at its corner, she stopped and turned once more to the female monster.

"Dodging isn't exactly my style. Shiva? Come."

A sudden gust of north wind blew past the roof, sending a deep chill down the Siren Imagin's spine. There was a noise like ice cracking behind her and she flew upwards into the clouds just in time to dodge an icicle that would have torn her right in two. Landing where she once stood there was another female Imagin. Her skin was a pale blue and her hair, long and tied into several thick braids down her back, was of a darker shade and though she wore a cloak over her shoulders, one could plainly see she wore a two-piece bikini made of a strange blend between silk and ice with a small sash tied around her waist.

_"Is that her Imagin?"_ questioned Hiro. _"Why does she have a complete form?"_

Ifrit didn't answer; too busy staring at the blue-skinned Yuki-onna Imagin.

Shiva looked skyward and lazily waved a hand. There came a sudden screech of rage before the Siren Imagin fell back to the roof, her wings incased in ice. Aeon MF nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Keep her on ice for me." She raised her magun, the Morgan. "_Earth Lashing!_" An emerald tinted whip shot out from the magun's barrel and with almost sadistic savagery, the Aeon MF began to strike at the Siren Imagin over and over again with increasing speed. She started to laugh, a strange distorted sound when Shiva suddenly landed beside her, placing a cold hand on her shoulder.

"Enough. Too much and you know what will happen." Aeon MF stiffened under the Yuki-onna Imagin's cold touch but nodded in agreement.

"Right…" She pulled out the card from her buckle, turning it around to its blue side and slipping it back into the buckle, changing the stylized "M" into a stylized "S".

"SWORD FORM!" The buckle announced as Aeon's armor vanished before a pale blue tint washed over her black bodysuit, changing the bulky armor into something slim that showed off the female Rider's feminine curves. Behind her, Shiva placed both hands on Aeon's shoulders and vanished in a haze of snow. A cloak made of ice suddenly attached itself to her shoulders. The cloak was designed like a blizzard's cold rage with only minimal pieces of armor on the elbows of its sleeves. A shield formed in Aeon SF's left hand while her right hand became a large icicle cut into the shape of a European sword. Her helmet was plain as before but now missing any sign of allowing her to see.

"Let me warn you from the start," said Aeon SF as the Siren Imagin broke free from the ice that held her to the earth. "I am fairly strong."

"Not strong enough to beat me wench!"

Aeon SF tilted her head. "We'll see." She shot forward, her sword, Caladbolg, raised high. "_Glacial Slash!_" The Siren Imagin leapt skyward to dodge the supposed sword strike only to screech in a pained rage as sharp icicles launched from the Caladbolg's tip, impaling and tearing her primary flight feathers to shreds, forcing her back to the ground. Not letting the female monster recover, Aeon SF reached down and pressed a button on top of the Eon Buckle.

"FULL CHARGE." It announced as energy filled the Aeon Card that the female Rider now held in her hand. She pressed it into a slot at the base of the Caladbolg like one would a train ticket. Blue colored energy zigzagged into the sword's frozen tip as Aeon SF lowered it to aim at the Siren Imagin. Without a word, Aeon SF raced forward and delivered a powerful slash to the Siren Imagin's torso.

She skidded to a halt behind the apparently unwounded monster. She stood straight and proud as she raised her left hand up and snapped her fingers. Ice exploded within the Siren Imagin's body, shattering her back into sand and killing her in a freezing explosion of cold. "_Diamond… Dust._"

Without another word, the possessed Rider reached down and pulled out the Aeon Card, watching stoically as it evaporated in her hands and the transformation was cancelled, leaving a seemingly ordinary girl behind.

Ifrit retreated back to the Eido-Liner, strangely silent as Guardian Force reached down and detached his belt and cancelled out his own transformation. "Ano… who are you?"

The girl turned and smiled sweetly at the boy in a way that made him feel quite uncomfortable. "You don't remember me, Hiro-kun? Then again, this is our first meeting isn't it?" She held out her hand. "Abigail is my name. Remember it."

"I-I will…" Hiro hesitantly took her hand and shook it in the proper Western fashion. "Um… how are you…?"

"A Kamen Rider?" She finished. "That's a long story one that can't be shared in the open like this. Come with me to the Proto-Liner and I'll tell you what you need to know."

"What I need to know?" repeated Hiro uncertainly. Though he was by no means a heavily experienced Rider himself, Hiro thought himself more of an expert than this girl who came out of nowhere.

Abigail spared the boy a disgusted glare. "Don't you know by now? What these Imagin are after? They're not coming here to Heatherfield just to go to the past to change the future. They're here to make sure that you don't have one."

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Yuffie-chan:_ Hello everyone! Welcome to the Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC preview! I'll be your narrator for this chapter! Would you believe it? Another Kamen Rider has appeared, one that's almost exactly like our Guardian Force with her own Imagin team to boot! Tifa doesn't trust her but I think she's okay. She says she's here to protect Hiro from whoever is controlling the Imagin but that still begs the question, what does this person want with our little Hiro?

_Lost in the Present; The Search Begins!_


	13. Lost in the Present

Me: And now we've reached the epic trilogy segment! Fans of Den-O will likely recognize this but I'm sure many will be surprised by what happens next!

Mewtwo: (Glares)

Me: Okay, if I promise to write a story featuring you in it will you stop glaring at me like that?

Mewtwo: Lets discuss terms.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

* * *

****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Lost in the Present; The Search Begins!_

"What?!"

"You think its coincidence that they all keep coming here, right into your lap? Think again. They might be intelligent but Imagin don't organize, not like this. They have a leader and that leader wants you dead and your Chrono-Liner for himself." Abigail's eyes shifted to the sky, where evening was making its way into the darkness of past the dusk. "We shouldn't talk here. Come with me to the Proto-Liner."

"… No." Hiro remained where he was, his fists clenched tight, a faint quiver going up his spine at his refusal but he remained steadfast against the mixed eyes that glared at him beneath white bangs.

"No?" Abigail repeated. "What do you mean 'no'?"

Hiro swallowed but steeled himself in the manner Takuya taught him. "I know nothing of you or your motives, and I've learned for myself that not all Kamen Riders stand together under a common goal. Aside from killing that Imagin, you haven't done anything to truly gain my trust. For all I know, you could be working with this person as a traitor." Hiro felt a shiver go up his spine at the word. Whenever Takuya talked of such things, he became cold, withdrawn, and far more volatile than usual. He hadn't earned enough of his sensei's trust to hear the full story but Hiro knew it wasn't a happy one.

Abigail stared at him for a long time, her face unreadable and her mixed eyes hard and uncaring. Suddenly, she smirked and shook her head, laughing under her breath. "There's hope for you yet, Hiro-kun. Very well, we'll go to the Eido-Liner. You'll have the "home-turf" advantage. That good enough for you?"

Hiro blinked and cocked his head slightly. He hadn't really expected her to agree with him… "Yes."

"Good, let's go then."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

The tension in the air was quite thick, at least to Hiro. Tifa was outright glaring with obvious distrust while Yuffie-chan was keeping herself busy with cleaning her counter. Leviathan and Behemoth were looking down upon Abigail with interest with Carbuncle keeping himself hidden in the Beast Imagin's mane, aided further by his magic. Strangely, and gaining the most concern, was Ifrit, who simply sat at his usual table, not really looking at Abigail but keeping an ear turned to the upcoming conversation.

Before anyone could speak, there was a flash of sickly green light that exited out from Abigail's body to land at her feet. Sand piled up before forming a fully-formed body of an Imagin taller than Carbuncle by a good twelve inches but still unreasonably small. It was a sickly green color and, from what could be seen, resembled something of a bipedal lizard with a tail like that of a dolphin. It wore a brown hooded cloak over its small form, covering its body completely save for its tail and the little brown booties it wore. In one flipper-like hand, it held an unlit lantern and in the other, a silver tray covered with several small treats; cookies judging by the smell.

"Hello," rasped the little creature in a rather creepy tone of voice. "I am Tonberry. Would you like a cookie?"

Carbuncle was already standing in front of the Gnome-Imagin. "I do, chu!" The Mini Imagin took one but paused, a sweatdrop falling down his head. The cookie was shaped like a bloodied butcher knife with the appropriate colored frosting. Feeling quite nervous, Carbuncle spoke a rapid thank you and disappeared back into Behemoth's mane, the cookie back on the plate.

Abigail sighed in disgust. "Tonberry, I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, if you're going to make cookies, at least have the sense to make them look nice."

"Butcher knives are nice," argued the little creature in his raspy voice, "especially when they are colored appropriately."

There wasn't a single sweatdrop-less head from that little comment.

"Just… go back to the Proto-Liner…" Abigail sighed, waving tirelessly at the small Imagin. The little creature grumbled to himself as he hobbled away, disappearing in sickly green tinted light. "Shiva? Come here."

A flash of crystalline light and standing beside the female Rider was the Ice Imagin herself. The temperature seemed to drop around Shiva, who gazed dispassionately at the group one-by-one until her cold eyes fell upon Ifrit. The temperature dropped faster than a falling anvil with frost spreading along the floor. The Hellhound Imagin scowled and fire danced along his mane as hot and cold combated against one another inside the car.

"So…" Shiva whispered softly, like gently falling snow on a windless night, "you do remember." A faint downward twitch of her lips was the only clue to her displeasure. "But not everything."

Ifrit frowned, revealing his sharp fangs. "You and that damn dragon… what the hell is it we're supposed to know?!"

Shiva shook her head, releasing her control over the cold. "Now is not yet the time for such a discussion. There are more important matters to deal with."

Abigail nodded in agreement with her Imagin partner. "Yes. The one responsible for bringing the Imagin here in the first place." She took a seat with Shiva standing beside her like a silent guard. "I won't lie; there are a lot of things I don't know about this man, only that he is an experienced singularity point."

"Experienced?" questioned Tifa. "What do you mean by that?"

"The three of us, yes I'm a singularity point as well so don't interrupt, are able to withstand the changes done to time yes? I've heard that you survived the destruction of your time as well, Tifa." The brunette's fists clenched but she didn't dispute this fact. "This is something all singularity points can do upon birth. However, I've heard rumors that older singularity points, particularly those that deal heavily with time, can even manipulate it enough to make small time leaps into the past or the future. All without the use of a chrono-liner."

"No way…!" gasped Hiro.

"That's impossible!" denied Tifa.

"Actually, it's quite possible." The Eido-Liner team nearly jumped out of their skins at the Conductor's sudden appearance. He stood calmly beside Abigail though she had somehow managed to pull out a small knife and was holding it up towards his heart. Strangely, Shiva made no move to protect Abigail or threaten the Conductor's life. Instead, she moved back with a strange inclination of her head as though showing respect towards the elder man.

Abigail scowled at her Imagin's behavior but replaced the knife. "Don't sneak up on me if you value your life, old man…"

The Conductor smiled like he understood the humor of her statement and continued, "The ability to travel through time is not limited to a matter of transportation but a manner of power behind it. Someday, Hiro could manage to travel on his own through time but only a few minutes at best."

"A few minutes?" scoffed Ifrit. "What good is that?"

The Conductor turned his mixed colored eyes to the Hellhound Imagin. "It's enough to fix a single mistake." Ifrit quirked his head while the Conductor turned once more to Abigail. "There is one more thing that a singularity point can do, isn't there my dear?"

Abigail scowled at the Conductor but nodded. "By sacrificing one's memory… a singularity point can send an Imagin back in time to any date of their choosing."

"Thisss we already knew." Leviathan spoke up.

"That's what we can do now, chu!" chirped Carbuncle.

"No, you don't understand. When I mean any date I mean any time of outside of their natural lifespan. The stronger the memory, the further they can send an Imagin back," said Abigail. "That's why he was able to send them all here enmasse. Wherever, or whenever, he is, it can't be too far into the future if the attacks are growing more infrequent."

"Who is this he?" asked Behemoth. "Surely a man this strong has a name?"

Abigail shook her head. "I don't know his real name only what few Imagin I've… interrogated call him and even then I can't say for sure.

"He calls himself the Golden King."

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Takuya stood impatiently in front of Hiro's apartment building, his arms crossed and a fierce scowl on his face. "Where. Were. You?"

Hiro felt strangely alone and mentally frowned at the sudden absence of his Imagin partners within his mind. '_Cowards…_' He swallowed nervously and spoke with a small stutter. "Th-The Imagin was taken care of, Sempai, but… not by me?"

Takuya quirked an eyebrow but maintained his scowl. "The Patriots?"

"Uh… the who?" asked Hiro, unfamiliar with the title and they who wore it.

"The other Riders. Galgameth, Fantastica, Zilla…" Takuya trailed off, noting the sudden sadness in Hiro's eyes. Repressing the near foreign feeling of guilt, the older Japanese boy spoke, "Not them then. Who was it? God above if it was the girls I'll—"

"Ano… it was a girl…" Hiro flinched at Takuya's intensified glare.

"Who? A Sailor Scout?"

"No… she's a…" Hiro hesitated, remembering Shiva's words to him earlier.

_FLASHBACK BEGIN:_

_Abigail rose from her seat. "If you're going to be stupid enough to continue with this charade of being a Kamen Rider, don't come crying to me when that bastard destroys everything you've ever cared about before mercifully killing you!" She stormed out, back to her Proto-Liner but her Imagin, Shiva, remained behind._

_"Do not confuse her anger with rage young Kaneda. She is concerned for your safety and your refusal to let her protect has her both upset and pleased. She will get over it in time." The Ice Imagin turned and looked down into Hiro's eyes, bending over slightly to do so. Behind Hiro, Leviathan's pipe let out a sharp wolf whistle like a steam engine before the Serpent Imagin was slammed to the ground via a double KO punch from Ifrit and Tifa._

_Hiro gulped nervously, sitting further back in his chair. "Is there something else?"_

_"Yes. I am aware of your training with Rodan and I know you will speak to him of what has transpired her. I am not asking you to remain silent on this but I do ask that you keep Abigail's unique appearance out of the discussion. There are more important things to deal with then past hurts."_

_: FLASHBACK END_

Hiro did not fully understand Shiva's request, especially with Carbuncle's agreement to the Ice Imagin's strange request, he would follow it nonetheless.

"She's a Kamen Rider. Like me." He answered his teacher/superior.

"Another Chrono Rider?" muttered Takuya, surprised by this. "Well doesn't that just beat the shit out of the fan?"

"… Chrono Rider?" questioned Hiro.

"It's what we, the Daikaiju Riders, call your kind of Kamen Rider. You travel through time don'tcha? Thus, you're a Chrono Rider." Takuya waved the explanation away like it was an annoying fly.

"So… what does it mean to be a Daikaiju Rider then?" asked Hiro.

"…" Takuya looked skyward. "That ain't for me ta tell, kohai. Now, tell me everything. Leave no details out this time."

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_One Week Later…_

The jewelry store was abandoned of customers and patrons alike and the area around it was clear of innocent civilians. As it should be what with a gun-toting maniac breaking into the jeweler's with bullets flying and glass breaking apart into fine sand. The punk, a teenage boy that would later be identified as Uriah, grinned, twitching slightly as he smashed a glass case open without a hint of hesitation. A faint image of a monster passed over his face as he reached down to collect his prize.

"That is an imitation used as a decoy." Something flashed through the air and the shining jewel-covered necklace was suddenly impaled into the wall via a smoker's pipe, still warm with odd-colored steam. Uriah turned and growled like a lowly beast at Hiro-Blue who smirked and ran a hand back over his hair. "Granting the wish of a schoolyard bully as a thief. What a generous Imagin."

"Who are you?!" growled Uriah-Orange, his eyes gaining a color like his odd-colored hair.

"Behind every word there is a thousand lures." Hiro-Blue blew a cloud of steam. "I came to reel you in." He made a come-hither gesture and his pipe flew back to his hands, the large necklace hanging loosely from it.

"Don't interfere!" Uriah-Orange swiped at the necklace and roared as Hiro-Blue made for a hasty retreat. "Give that back!"

The chase was on and though he was armed, Uriah-Orange did not bother with the gun, going so far as to even toss it aside into a sewer drain. Turning a sharp corner at a more open area in the mall, the possessed boy thought he had Hiro-Blue cornered when it was a different case altogether. A purple haze of a beast fellow over Hiro as a blue haze of a serpent exited and disappeared from sight. Hiro-Purple cracked his neck, his unruly hair with a faint strip of purple falling down along his ponytail wavering in the wind.

"My strength is far greater than yours! You are a howling wind and I am the unbending mountain!" Uriah-Orange scowled and ran forward only to be slammed back with an open-palmed thrust from Hiro-Purple. The blow, while seemingly weak in appearance, sent Uriah-Orange back a good several yards.

Groaning more in rage than in pain, the possessed punk rose to his feet. "Bastard… you'll pay…!"

A flash of emerald tinted light and gone was the serious Hiro-Purple, replaced now with a childlike attitude and faint musical beat playing in the air as Hiro-Green took to the stage. He was still dressed in his usual clothes but had somehow gained a lengthy black bandanna with the kanji for "jewel" written in bright green brushstrokes upon its center.

"Doc Martinez says thieves are bad, 'n Max agrees so I do too!" He did a little spin and pointed at Uriah-Orange. "So I'm gonna beats you up now, 'kays?"

"Don't screw with me!" growled Uriah-Orange.

"Can't hear ya!" Hiro-Green spun around once more as rock music began to play with him singing to the words as he pressed the attack. "Things are starting to accelerate into something! Never stopping always trouble bubbling, now I think I'm getting dizzy, too much spinning. Page by page the plot is thickening quickening! It's getting too insane. I'm trying to maintain. Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!"

Uriah-Orange blinked and turned a quick circle before looking upwards towards the stairs leading to the mall's upper levels. "How in the… when in the… GET BACK HERE!"

Let the chase begin. …… Again…

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Uriah-Orange was nearly panting for breath by the time he reached the roof of the mall, particularly the portion reserved for emergency helicopter transport. He stopped just short of reaching it as he stared at the now un-possessed Hiro. The plain-looking boy smiled gently, holding up the necklace.

"Give that to me!" Uriah-Orange charged forward but suddenly skidded to a halt as yet another Imagin possessed Hiro, turning the boy's amber eyes into crimson colored orbs and his hair wild like a lion's mane.

"You thieving ass. Give up already!" Hiro-Red punched Uriah hard in the face. So hard in fact, the boy would have flown completely off the roof if his contracted Imagin hadn't burst free and caught him just short of the roof's edge. The Ogre Imagin was a sickly orange color, like rotten fruit, and wore little save for a ratty loincloth and several belts across its muscular torso. Its tusked face was set in a permanent scowl as it glared at Hiro-Red.

"Who are you?!"

"How embarrassing for you to not know me by now." The GF-Belt materialized around his waist as he held up the GF-Pass. "I'm gonna be generous here and show ya a big service so watch carefully!" He reached down and pressed the red button on the DiscLoader Buckle, turning it into a matching shade. "Start it up!"

"START GAME! FIST FORM!" His belt responded in kind as a cocoon of light surrounded him. Inside the cocoon, a dark tan bodysuit stretched itself over Hiro's body before armor colored a flaming crimson covered his form with patches of blazing red fur growing from the elbows and a large mane of it growing out from the back of his helmet-covered head. Around his neck hung the same beaded necklace that his Imagin wore. Flames surrounded his forearms before suddenly whooshing out to reveal a pair of gauntlets that made his hands and forearms looked to be three times their normal size. The helmet, which was the last thing to change, slid down his face to shape the face of a canine before it split in two with the jaws making the 'eyes' of the helmet. Finally, a pair of curved obsidian horns grew out about a foot above the newly transformed Guardian Force's eyes, finishing the transformation.

"Ore… sanjou!" G-Force Fist Form struck a battle stance as the Eido-Liner appeared behind him.

"Guardian Force?" The Ogre Imagin tilted its ugly head, sounding surprised and pleased by the Kamen Rider's appearance.

"So you do know me. Listen up; I don't do no damn pretenses! From beginning to end, my power is at a climax! Remember that!" The Crimson Fire Rider charged forward, fists at the ready to pummel the Ogre Imagin into the dust only for the monster to do his own dodge and run routine.

Far enough away from its contract holder, the Ogre Imagin suddenly laughed. "I'll remember you as a fool!" He held up the necklace.

"What the hell?! When did you—?!"

_"You must have dropped it…"_

"When I transformed?! That's cheating damn it!" The Ogre Imagin grinned and tossed the necklace to Uriah and watched as it fell into the boy's hand. The punk wearily sat up and smiled before suddenly splitting in two with a swirling green vortex appeared.

"Time to fly." The Ogre Imagin burst into a sickly orange orb of light and disappeared.

"Stupid dog!" yelled Tifa from where she had stood in the open doorway of the Eido-Liner. "It was going so well too!"

"Can't help it anymore now, so let's just chase the frog-bastard down already!"

The two raced over to the stunned Uriah with Tifa bending down and holding a blank Slot Ticket to the boy's forehead. The Ogre Imagin's picture appeared on its surface alongside the date, April 6, 1999. Guardian Force FF took the ticket in hand. "Alright, let's go!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 6, 1999

A ten year old child sat beside his father in wide-eyed fear as the drunken man drove wildly through the city streets. The business meeting with the eastern branch had not gone well and Uriah Sr. took to the bottle quicker than a starving man to food, dragging his poor son along for the ride. However, the boy's fear was washed away by a sudden surge of monstrous rage as sand burst from his form. The car slid to a halt, nearly toppling over into the ocean as the Ogre Imagin burst through the front window, his claws wet with blood. He looked back over towards the unconscious pair of father and son, snorting in disgust before the local police force at last arrived to the scene.

The Ogre Imagin waved a hand and sent the cars toppling back with a great burst of green-tinted fire. Fearing for the lives at the then unforeseen and unbelievable threat of a monster attack, the police were quickly driven to panic and succumbed with great ease to the Imagin's strength. A familiar tune suddenly played in the air before the Eido-Liner burst onto the scene with Guardian Force FF leaping out from the parked time-train.

"This is it! You ain't goin' nowhere!" Fire burst along the Ali Shar gauntlets.

"I don't need to run. I've already completed my goal."

G-Force FF cocked his head. "What's that?"

_"What does he mean he's completed his goal? What damage has he done? … Besides the obvious?"_

The Ogre Imagin held up its weapons, its own hands. "Here I come."

Grinning beneath his helmet, G-Force FF charged forward, fire appearing in his hands. From the beginning of the battle, it was obvious that the Kamen Rider was the better fighter between the two and though they shared the same element, it was the Ogre Imagin that sported the most burns.

"I… will not fail… my lord…" panted the Ogre Imagin.

"Your lord? You're working for that Golden King bastard? Well you can send a message to him for me!" Guardian Force FF waved the GF-Pass over the DiscLoader Buckle.

"FULL CHARGE!" Crimson energy zigzagged through the air and into the palms of the Ali Shar before a burning ball of fire steadily grew in Guardian Force FF's hands.

"He can go fuck himself! _Hellfire!_" The burning fireball flew through the air, nearly alighting the very oxygen as it slammed into the Ogre Imagin with the force of a miniaturized atomic bomb. The Ogre Imagin screamed in agony as its body began to collapse upon itself.

"Long live our Lord!" it roared before, at last, it died in a burning explosion of fire and sand.

"The hell was all that? Talk about stupid frogs…" grunted G-Force FF as he reached down and pulled off the GF-Belt and cancelling out the transformation. Hiro sighed somewhat tiredly before he received a sudden smack upside the head. "Ow!"

"That is exactly why I come along with you on these damn time hopping stunts of yours!" yelled Takuya, glowering down at Hiro who was crouched down and holding his head in pain. "You should have gotten the bastard to talk first before you killed him! All we know about this bastard is his god-damned name and the way that damn Imagin was acting, we don't even know if it's the same damn person!"

"Hey! Don't blame Hiro for this, blame Ifrit!" protested Tifa. "Better yet, blame yourself why don't you? You're their sempai and you haven't helped a single time!"

"Brattling girl, I've been on three of these damn trips and each time I feel sick to my damn stomach! Excuse me if I don't happen to agree with time-traveling!" yelled Takuya, getting into Tifa's face. The girl was ready to punch Takuya's lights out when Hiro put himself between them.

"Can't we all just get along?" The boy sweatdropped at the fierce glare the two sent him and looked around for something to act as a diversion for the rapidly approaching fight. He blinked in surprise as he slowly became aware of just where they were. "Hey… are we in… Tokyo?"

Takuya blinked and looked around for himself. "Well I'll be damned… Tokyo in the past. Shit if that ain't ironic…"

Hiro looked out towards the populous city with more than a touch of homesickness in his eyes. "I don't suppose we could…?" he looked back at Tifa, hoping for her agreement but grew sad at her silent refusal.

"We can't risk interfering with the past. C'mon. Let's go back to the future."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit stepped into the dining car with a satisfied growl, rubbing his sore knuckles and grinning to himself. "Damn how I live for this shit. Oy, Yuffie! Cuppa joe over here!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Yuffie who remained unnaturally still and quiet. "Hey what's da matter with you? Where's that damn cheerful "Yes!" of yours girl?"

"Sssempai." Leviathan hissed, sitting still as could be, his pipe clenched tightly in his bearded jaw.

"Ifrit-kun." Behemoth rumbled, glowering and trembling with repressed rage. "Don't move."

"What's the matter with the two of you? And where the hell is the damn brat?" asked Ifrit taking a sniff of the air. "Hey… why does it stink of—" The Hellhound Imagin let loose a roar of rage as a burning pain appeared in his back.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 6, 1999

The Eido-Liner let out a shrill whistle and slowly began to move forward with increasing speed. The trio stared in shock for but a moment before they quickly began to give chase. Takuya reached out with his control over the winds and felt another burst of vertigo that nearly sent him stumbling. Cursing everything he could, the Yashima picked up the pace and raced further ahead of Tifa and Hiro. There was a reason the Conductor had warned him of traveling alongside Hiro and now Takuya was paying the price. Without his powers and abilities as Rodan, Takuya was as mere a human as one could be under his circumstances.

However, that did not mean he was by any means a weakling.

Takuya ran forward at speeds that few people could go and managed to just grasp the bars at the Eido-Liner's observation deck. He pulled himself aboard and struggled to pull the doors open.

"Sempai!" yelled Hiro, desperately wishing he had his skates. "It's too dangerous!"

"Get off you jerk before you end up in the Middle Ages!" yelled Tifa, farther ahead than Hiro.

Takuya looked past the Eido-Liner and cursed as he saw a time vortex opening in front of the speeding train. He jumped off and rolled a bit before getting to his feet. Scowling and cursing a blue streak, Takuya dusted himself off as Tifa and Hiro finally caught up to him.

"Okay, someone better tell me why the hell our ride just left us behind and they better say it quickly," growled Takuya, his hand itching for the sword strapped at his side.

"I… I don't know… the Eido-Liner can only move if Hiro is piloting it or if the Conductor wishes it to move." Tifa said, confused with the current circumstances.

"The old man pissed at us or something?" asked Takuya. "Cause I ain't liking this punishment, not one damn bit!"

"Ano…" Hiro looked rather sick as another possibility played in his mind. "That Imagin I fought… it said that it had completed its goal by coming here. I thought it meant by coming to the past but what if… what if meant bringing the Eido-Liner here?"

"You mean the god-damned thing's been hijacked?!" Takuya yelled.

"Hiro, can't you contact one of the Ima-tachi? Maybe they can tell us what's going on," suggested Tifa.

"I'll try." Hiro nodded and closed his eyes. _"Hello? Is anyone there? What's going on?"_

_"A———damn————King! ———uncle———caged! GOD DAMN IT!"_

_"Ifrit? You're not coming through! What's happening on the Eido-Liner!"_ A sudden flash of pain, the image of something completely unbelievable burned across Hiro's eyes as he cried out in pain and fell back onto his behind.

"Hiro!" Tifa kneeled down beside the amber-eyed boy. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I can't connect to the Imagin…" gasped Hiro, pressing a hand to his eyes. "They're… caged or something… I could barely understand what Ifrit was saying and then I saw… I thought I saw…"

"You thought you saw…?" repeated Tifa.

"I thought I saw… Bahamut."

Tifa opened her mouth to say something likely very unflattering when there was a sudden gust of wind generated by the trio of wings on a draconic beast of platinum scale. "Far from it, boy. But if that is who I believe it to be, then our friends on the Eido-Liner are in some serious trouble indeed."

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Takuya:_ How the hell could our ride get hijacked by some smuck with the fashion sense of a drunk daimyo?! And what's with those Imagin of his?! Damn it, they're as strong as my kohai's and—Oh come on! The hell is this?! How the hell is he a Kamen Rider?! What's all this crap about finding this Eden-Liner?! Better yet, when in the hell are we?! The early Meiji Period? Well that's just great isn't it?! Wait… the swordsman… It couldn't be him… Ojiisan?

_Stuck in the Past; The Search for Eden Continues!_


	14. Stuck in the Past

Mewtwo: I'll admit, you don't get sick easily but when you do, you have the most interesting side effects, Corvus.

Me: (_Glares_)

Poupoko: (Just be thankful that the kids and Lady Camille aren't sick.)

Bahamut: I don't know... I suddenly feel in the mood for pork.

Me: (_Evil Glare of Doom copyright pending..._)

Poupoko: (Sigh... just give him the pills Dr. Mario prescribed...)

Mewtwo: Ah, yes... about that.

Me: 0_o;

Bahamut: (_Whistles_) That's one big pill...

Mewtwo: That's not even the best part.

Me: 0o0 (_Runs_)

Poupoko: (After him!)

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

* * *

****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Stuck in the Past; The Search for Eden Continues!_

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

The Conductor sat in his usual seat without any undo concern despite the seriousness of the situation. His eyes, a strange fusion between red, amber, green, and blue, glowed faintly with power and, for the first time, concern made itself known on his face as the door opened to allow the man responsible for all this to step through.

From head to toe he was wrapped in medical bandages save for his eyes and mouth. His eyes were dark red, almost black in his darkly tanned face, most of which could not be seen thanks to the bandages. The clothes he wore spoke of a bygone age of nobility that only the Conductor and few others could immediately recognize. He carried with him no weapon but that only made him even more dangerous if he could control several Imagin with but a word.

The master of the Eido-Liner straightened as the man walked briskly forward and took a seat opposite him.

Silence.

"Do you know me?"

The Conductor slowly blinked, seemingly thinking over his response. "I cannot say we have met, if that is what you're asking."

"… I believe you're lying, but you can call me as I call myself. Lord Chronos." A solitary eyebrow rose on the Conductor's face. "You know why I am here."

"I have an inkling but if you have nothing to offer nor so do I."

A pleased smile spread on Chronos' dark face. "You've a way with words and answers like all old men. I will speak plainly then." He snapped his fingers and with a sudden gust of wind, there was the Ronin Imagin with his canine companion faithfully at his side. The armored Imagin stood with his head bowed and his hand outstretched to reveal a small child's toy. The ball was taken swiftly in hand and destroyed without a thought. Broken bits vanished like smoke on the wind. A twist of the hand and the man held a small crimson ticket with the golden symbol of infinity shining on its surface.

"I want the other half, Conductor. I want the Master Pass." The man leaned forward. "I want to enter the Final Line and get back what's mine!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 6, 1999

Takuya's sword was in his hand in an instant, the reversed blade pressing against the Dragon Imagin's neck. "Who the hell are you?"

"Bahamut-sama!" gasped Hiro in shock, "Sempai, no! He's a friend!"

Takuya glared at his student but did as he asked. "Don't sneak up on me."

Bahamut spared the last Yashima a single look before brushing him off. "I take it the Eido-Liner has been taken?"

"No shit!" exclaimed Tifa. "By your look-alike!"

"Trust me, she may bare a small resemblance to my glory but she is nothing like me, especially with the company that she keeps," said Bahamut. "We must rescue our friends on the Eido-Liner."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" asked Takuya. "Ask for a Doctor Brown and see if his DeLorean's available?!"

Bahamut ignored him, his eyes on Hiro. "Don't you have a friend you should be calling?"

"A friend…?" repeated Hiro. His eyes widened. "Abigail!" He hastily dug out his Eido-Liner cell-phone. As the name implied, this cell-phone was nothing like normal ones for it could reach across both space _and_ time. He dialed the number and waited with baited breath.

_"WHAT?!"_

Hiro held the phone as far away from his ear as possible. Even Takuya cringed at the sudden scream that came from the small device. "Ano… Abigail…?"

_"Hiro? Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

"Um…" Hiro glanced at the sky. "Two-ish?"

"… You're in the past aren't you?"

"Hai."

"And you're calling me because…?"

"I—we're… well… stuck…" Tifa smacked herself in the face and Takuya repressed the urge to groan.

"Stuck? In what?"

Hiro wondered if she really didn't know what he meant or if she wanted him to say it flat-out. "… in the past…"

"…………"

"Hello? Abigail?"

There came a sound like an ocarina's melody before a time vortex opened in the sky above the group. With a shrill whistle, the Proto-Liner burst through and twisted downwards to stop just before the group. The door opened revealing Shiva. The Ice Imagin's eyes fell upon Bahamut and they widened in surprise. He shook his head faintly and she nodded in return before looking to Hiro and the others.

"Please come aboard."

_------------------------------------------------Proto-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

The inside of the Proto-Liner, in comparison to its successor the Eido-Liner, was rather plain and homely in comparison. Being made of only two parts, a train and jet, there was limited space as to what could fit inside the time train so it wasn't of any real surprise that the dining portion of the Proto-Liner consisted of two cushioned benches and a few tables.

Tonberry walked up to each of them in turn and offered them one of his unusual snacks, all politely declining save for Bahamut who ordered a "More respectable meal fit for one of my stature," as he said. Shiva sat silently with a smiling Tonberry by her side. Hiro couldn't tell if the chill he felt was from Shiva's presence or from the creepy little Gnome Imagin's smile.

The door suddenly opened and an irate Abigail stepped in with her eyes closed in obvious frustration. "Alright, somebody better explain to me how the hell someone up and—" She cut herself off, finally opening her mixed colored eyes to see Takuya glaring at her. The uncomfortable silence stretched between the two.

"You got a problem with me, brat?" grunted Takuya. Unseen by anyone, Shiva relaxed and released the breath she had been holding.

"You just… tick me off for some reason." Abigail waved it away. "Whatever, what the hell happened to the Eido-Liner?"

"It was hijacked," answered Hiro.

"Obviously, dimwit! By who?"

Hiro frowned and thought back to what Ifrit had shown him. "I think… by a group of Imagin…"

"A group? Imagin don't work in groups, they'd start tearing into each other before they actually accomplish anything."

"They were wearing something though…" said Hiro, struggling to remember. It had all happened so fast… "I saw… a symbol. The infinity symbol!"

"Infinity… Oh shit," gasped Abigail. "The Final Line!"

"The Final Line? What is that?" asked Tifa.

"You don't know? Of course you don't its privileged information." Abigail ignored Tifa's heated glare and continued, "The Final Line are the tracks that can stretch further than the Eido-Liner and even the Proto-Liner can. On that line, the rules no longer apply, one can go anywhere and anytime they want. The past or the future is completely open to them only if they have the Infinity Ticket and the Master Pass."

"The Conductor has the Master Pass," gasped Tifa.

"Which means the hijacker must have the Infinity Ticket." Abigail nodded. "But even with the pass traversing on the Final Line is incredibly dangerous. The Eido-Liner, nor my Proto-Liner, was made to travel down that line."

"What was then?" asked Hiro.

"The Eden-Liner…" whispered Abigail. She shook her head. "Never mind. We've got to go after the Eido-Liner."

"And who," said Takuya, standing to his feet, "put you in charge, little girl?"

Abigail stiffened, her fists clenched tightly. "You're not a Chrono-Rider so you have no authority when it comes to me and my actions. If anything, I should drop-kick your ass back to the Stone Age. So how about you sit down, shut up, and let me get back to my job of saving all of our collective asses?" Without another word, Abigail turned and stormed off to the engine room. Tifa and Hiro nervously looked up at Takuya whose face was unreadable for a long moment before he suddenly grinned and, with a loud laugh, sat back in his seat.

"I like that little bitch."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

The hackles of Ifrit's mane quivered with burning embers, a low feral growl echoing in his throat as his struggled against the bars that stood between him and the arrogant swine of an Imagin that dared to do the impossible by hijacking the Eido-Liner. The Imagin resembled a twisted fusion of bird, snake, and scorpion with the body of a snake, the limbs and head of a vulture, and the deadly tail of the scorpion. The Serpion Imagin didn't look at all intimidated by the Hellhound Imagin's rage.

"When I get out of here," growled Ifrit, "I'm going to serve you up, extra crispy!"

"Yes, do try." The Serpion Imagin hissed, its golden eyes glancing at the top of the prison cell. "Atomos can hold anything in, once it's inside. Why do you think he's called the Cage Imagin?"

Ifrit howled in frustration, slamming a fist down onto the floor with no visible effect. Behind him, Leviathan looked up from the ground, his pipe blowing strangely colored steam as usual.

"Sssempai, pleasssse. Do not aggravate them further."

Ifrit scowled but backed off, moving to stand beside the Serpent Imagin. Opposite them, Behemoth sat with his great, horned head bowed, the comatose Carbuncle sleeping fitfully in his great paws. The Serpion Imagin's sting was a deep purple gash along the Mini Imagin's side, red blood mixing with the poison.

"How is he?" grunted Ifrit, refusing to show the full concern he felt.

Behemoth tail twitched, the only sign of his rage. "He is fighting the poison. If we could help him…"

"We can't." Ifrit spoke bluntly, his crossed over his chest.

"None of usss can heal, not like Carbu-chan…" hissed Leviathan. His webbed hand wavered over the cut but stilled and returned to his side. Blood were both liquids in shape and form and Leviathan could manipulate the poison out of Carbuncle's body but the Serpent Imagin didn't trust their jail cell to not alert his comrades. For now, he had to sit back and hold the poison in place until the moment was right and hope that Carbuncle could pull through on his own.

Twisted laughter came from outside the Cage Imagin and Ifrit turned, growling in rage at the Gnoll Imagin that stood tauntingly on the other side, his head pressed through the bars and grinning madly at the Ima-tachi. The monster resembled a hyena gone the way of man, standing upright and dressed entirely for battle with a serrated curved sword at his belt. "Why so serious? Once he's dead, you can make a doll out of him! ACK!"

Ifrit's claws dug into the Gnoll Imagin's throat, fire dancing along his wrist and singing the creature's fur. Ifrit began to squeeze when he felt the sharpened point of the Serpion's tail press lightly to his neck.

"Release him or join your spell caster." Ifrit growled and did so, shoving the Gnoll Imagin into a table and toppling to the floor. The demented creature laughed at his pain, fingering the bleeding wounds.

"Stop toying with the prisoners and stay at your post." The Gnoll Imagin froze and backed shuffled back, whimpering pathetically.

"That cook keeps hitting me!" he whined. "I don't like it!"

"If you'd lose that code of yours, you wouldn't have to worry about that wouldn't you? Back to your post!" He was gone like a flash. A dark shadow moved to stand before the cage door. Obviously feminine, the Imagin stood taller than Ifrit with a great pair of horns curving back on her skull like a ram's. Great wings like those of a bat rested on broad shoulders like a living cloak as a serpent's tail waved in the air with minute amusement. "I'd apologize for him but I think you'd take it as an insult, yes?"

"Who the hell are you?" growled Ifrit. "Why do you look like—"

"Bahamut?" inquired the Dragoon Imagin with a fanged smile. "That is of no importance, General."

"What?"

The Dragoon Imagin blinked in surprise before her smile widened. "You don't remember… oh, how the mighty have fallen…"

Ifrit's eyes narrowed. "What is with all these damn Imagin acting like there's something we should be knowing!?"

"You don't think there's a reason why we, as Imagin, exist for the sole purpose of going to the past?" she asked. "That our sole purpose in existence is to destroy the future? Spare me your heroic tales of knights and monsters."

Leviathan looked up from his patient. "If that isss not our purposssse, then what issss?"

The Dragoon Imagin's eyes never left Ifrit's own. "We're not trying to destroy the future. We're trying to change it."

"Why? What do we gain?" asked Behemoth.

"Restoration." She left to the engine room without another word. The Serpion Imagin bored with his watch, left to raid the food stores, confident of Atomos' abilities. A soft bark and Ifrit's eyes fell down to the small Shiisa Imagin that sat by its master's side. The Ronin Imagin scratched the doglike Imagin's ears, never looking at the cage.

"The way out doesn't always have to be the way in." He whispered more to his dog than to Ifrit before leaning back and bringing his hat down over his eyes.

Ifrit blinked. '_The way out…?_' He looked at the back of the cage which resembled a fleshy wall like… Ifrit's eyes widened and he scowled in disgust. '_Oh hell no!_' But if he didn't, who knew what would happen to Hiro? The idiot was getting stronger yeah but without him? The boy was hopeless!

"The things I do…" grumbled Ifrit. He moved to slouch against the wall, standing just behind Behemoth. "Oi, Ramboy, Snake-hentai," he whispered. "Hit me."

The Beast Imagin straightened with surprise, turning his head and whispering a surprised, "What?"

"Hit me as hard as you can." Ifrit growled softly.

Leviathan's fins twitched. "Why?"

"Just do it!" The duo exchanged confused looks but started to comply when Ifrit hastily said, "On three, on three damn it!" At their pause he nodded, "Okay… one… two… three!"

Behemoth's massive paw came swinging down as Leviathan unleashed a massive blast of water from his pipe. Ifrit burst into an orb of light and vanished from the Eido-Liner amidst the anguished roars of the Cage Imagin.

"What?!" the Serpion Imagin raced over, gripping the bars in his claws. "How did he—?! Youjimbo!" The Ronin Imagin glanced up. "Why didn't you stop him?!"

The Ronin Imagin stared at him for a long moment before sitting back, perfectly relaxed. "I wasn't paid to."

_------------------------------------------------Proto-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

A flash of crimson light and Ifrit landed face down on the floor with all the gracefulness of a rock. "Ow…"

"Ifrit!" Someone knelt down at the Hellhound Imagin's side, helping him up. "Are you well?"

"I'm just… peachy?" Ifrit blinked in surprise to see Shiva holding his arm and helping him stand. He didn't know which surprised him more, the Yuki-onna Imagin actually helping him or the fact that her icy touch did him no harm. "Uh… thank you?"

Shiva smiled, sadly to Ifrit's eyes, and released his arm. "I am glad." She turned and walked away. "I shall go and inform Abigail."

Ifrit watched her go before shaking his head. '_What the hell is wrong with me?_'

"Ifrit, what happened to the Eido-Liner?" asked Hiro, helping Ifrit to one of the benches and sitting down beside the Hellhound Imagin.

"A whole lot of shit, baka-teme!" Ifrit told them everything he knew.

"So this guy… Chronos? Is he that Gold King character?" asked Tifa.

"If he is, he sure as hell didn't look it." Ifrit grunted.

"It doesn't matter who he is," said Hiro. "He has the Master Pass and the Infinity Ticket. There's nothing stopping him from going after the Eden-Liner."

Ifrit turned a fierce glare towards Bahamut who looked as though he hadn't a care in the world. "Oi, dragon! Who was that chick on the Eido-Liner!? You got some lost love or something?"

Bahamut turned and looked at Ifrit, who suddenly cringed from the intensity of the Dragon Imagin's glare. Its only true comparison would be the look the Conductor often gave to the Ima-tachi whenever he was… displeased with their antics. But this look spoke nothing of displeasure. No, it was filled with a kind of rage that was born from hopeless despair.

"Her name is Tiamat and she is my concern and mine alone. When the time comes, I will be the one to challenge her. No one else."

Ifrit scowled but didn't argue. He changed the subject to a more annoying note. "Can't this heap of junk go after them?"

_"The Proto-Liner is not a heap of junk you flea-bitten mongrel,"_ came Abigail's voice from the speakers. _"We're going to be entering the Final Line shortly. So shut up and stay seated. This is going to be a bumpy ride. Oh, and if you are to look outside the right windows…"_ Curiously, the room's occupants started to do so. _"We'll tip over."_

They were quick to change their mind.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The Sands of Time_

The rainbow colored sea of endless sand seemed almost dark as the Proto-Liner transverse to parts less traveled. Even the towers of stone seemed almost dreary as the night portions of the sky began to stretch further and further until all there was to light the sands were the headlights of the Proto-Liner's primary engine, the Yuna. The towers of rock and stone began to dwindle in number as a faint burning speck could be seen on the horizon. As the Proto-Liner drew near, the occupants within could see the light source was in fact another railway line lit up along its great iron length via the floating torches of golden fire floating at its sides.

There came a sudden shrill whistle and the Eido-Liner appeared, riding the Final Line. Lightning lit up along the Eido-Liner in rainbow colored arches, giving the chrono-liner a rather godlike appearance. The train slowed only momentarily as if to mock the Proto-Liner of its gain before shooting off and vanishing down the flame-lit road. The engines of the Proto-Liner's Rinoa engaged with a roar and launched the prototype Chrono-Liner high into the air where before it came crashing down upon the Final Line.

Like the Eido-Liner before it, the Proto-Liner lit up chronal energy and shot forward in hot pursuit after it successor. Along the tracks of the Final Line, time vortexes opened and closed without warning, allowing the passengers and driver of the Proto-Liner to witness bygone events in history. A herd of dinosaurs roamed the plains, making their annual migration to their nesting grounds. The group of three-hundred warriors stood fast for their freedom, their peace, against an army of thousands and emerged as victors for all of time. The ship of titans made its maiden journey and fell to the depths of the iceberg sodden sea. The airplane evolved from two-winged to single to jet in a single breath. Stone Henge stood whole and complete as people gathered for the ceremony within its boundaries. Twin towers stood proudly and died under the fires of terrorism, a burning resolve found in the ashes. A grand kingdom that spanned across the stars blew away like ashes on the wind, replaced eons later in with a utopia of glass and crystal.

This and so much more flew by the eyes of those who cared enough to watch as time itself flew by them with great speed until; at long last, they reached their destination.

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September 2, 1878

The Akabeko was by no means the most popular place to dine but during the luncheon hour it was often the first place people went for a decent pot of beef stew and other such simple delights. The waitresses had the added bonus of being incredibly cute despite their unflattering uniforms of choice. Of course, the solitary waiter of the restaurant was a great source of amusement especially when one was made aware of the lad's crush on the one waitress close to his age. In fact, it was one of the restaurant's most frequent visitors that made it his job, nay his very duty, of pushing the boy's buttons until he turned as red as their mutual friend's hair.

All in all, it was a usual day at the Akabeko restaurant.

The sound of music brought a confused pause to that peace until the shrill whistle of a train shattered it completely. With a burst of chronal lightning, the Eido-Liner appeared on the busy streets of Tokyo, destroying stands and sending people screaming for their lives as the train skidded to a halt, smoke and steam rising from its surface. Once the train had fully settled and their panic lowered, the crowd looked on in confusion at the strange train that had appeared out of nowhere at speeds no train could possibly travel.

Their confusion gave way to fear as the door to the train opened and the Serpion Imagin charged forward with the Gnoll Imagin close behind. The hyena like monster cackled with glee, slicing at the air with his sword while his quadruped companion stood waiting as Tiamat and Youjimbo stepped out of the train with their master Chronos following close behind. He looked over the crowd imperiously even as they ran screaming for their lives from the "demons". All but one man who stood between Chronos and the fleeing crowd. The man made no move to attack them nor did he look inclined to do so even if he was one of the few in the city to still wield a sword.

Lord Chronos tilted his head. "Do you know me?"

"You resemble a man I knew but you are not him that you are not." The swordsman answered.

"I see… Kill him."

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Behemoth slammed his tail against the bars of their cage and grunted from the effort. "No good. Its strength is as great as my own."

Leviathan hissed in displeasure. "What more can we do? I've removed the poison but Carbuncle refuses to wake…"

The Conductor stood up from his seat and slowly walked over to the front of the cage, staring up into Atomos' eyes. Whether by instinct or by the look in the old man's strange eyes, the Imagin backed as far away as they could from him. The Cage Imagin began to tremble in fear, its serpentine eyes wide and quivering.

"Game Over." Atomos burst into a cloud of ash that was swept away by unfelt wind. Leviathan and Behemoth blinked rapidly in surprise and slowly looked down at the seemingly harmless Conductor who smiled indulgently at the two. "This old dog still has some tricks. Now, I believe our friends outside are in need of some assistance."

"Yeah!" Carbuncle sprang out of Behemoth's paws, landing atop Leviathan's head. "The climax is here!"

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Chronos had to admit that he was rather surprised at how well the group of warriors was faring against his Imagin. Though they possessed no great power or magic, they fought well against his underlings. Serpion was no slow mover and moved like a serpent in and out of striking range from the punkish youth's punches and kicks, mindful of the craters left in their wake, before charging in for the attack. Gnoll, demented as he was, never realized how outmatched he was fighting two warriors at once, though the term could be used loosely as both used nothing but bokken against his blade. Youjimbo sparred against the swordsman and though the human had the advantage of speed and a smaller stature, the Ronin Imagin was a grandmaster of the sword arts and met him strike for strike.

Tiamat stood dispassionately at his side, looking over the battlefield in deep disgust. "This is a waste of our time, Lord."

"Patience is a virtue for a reason my dear." Chronos said, turning to his right. An ocarina's song played in the air before the Proto-Liner burst onto the scene, dropping off its passengers before disappearing back to the Sands of Time. Guardian Force Fist Form and Aeon Sword Form stood to the fore, brandishing their respected elements. Behind them, Tifa was helping Takuya remain standing as he struggled against gravity's law. Tiamat noted them all but her eyes were on one Imagin alone.

"Brother." Bahamut gave her no spoken response, though his eyes never left her own.

Chronos smiled, ignoring the byplay. "Do you know me?"

Guardian Force cracked his knuckles underneath the Ali Shar gauntlets. "I know what you're gonna be!"

"Truly?" Chronos' smile never left his face as he held up the Master Pass with its Infinity Ticket shining within. A belt the color of finely polished obsidian appeared at his waist. "Let's begin then shall we? Start it up." He let the pass fall over the buckle.

"START GAME!" The belt responded in kind before a cocoon of light surrounded him before shattering like glass on the wind. He was dressed in a dark charcoal colored bodysuit with his armor a polished obsidian and carved in the shape of a lion. Fur colored like fine ivory grew from the elbows and the helmet like a true lion's mane with a crown of red thorns resting on the brow like the horns of a fallen angel. A pair of blades burst from his forearms, colored like blood.

"GRIEVER FORM!"

Kamen Rider Griever took a ready stance gesturing for Aeon and Guardian Force to step forward and challenge him. "Let us begin."

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Takuya cursed every form of deity and god he knew though he was as much a religious man as he was kind spoken which is to say not at all. That little bitch Abigail had told him from the start that he wasn't a Chrono Rider and now he was beginning to understand the Conductor's reluctance in allowing him aboard the Eido-Liner. By being a normal human Takuya wasn't immune to the effects of time travel and so had succumbed to a form of "chronal sickness" in that his body had to try and adapt to the changes it endured via travelling through the time stream. He should have recognized it sooner for it was of a similar effect that he and the other Kamen Riders had experienced when they first arrived in this world, minus the mild case of amnesia of course.

Still, sick or not, Takuya hated having to sit back and watch as others took the fight without him. His student's idiot Imagin had finally managed to break out of their prison and were trying to assist the few stupid people that had decided to make annoyances out of themselves by standing up to this Griever character. The fact that the bad-guy happened to be a Chrono Rider did not help Takuya's temper any for that matter. He and the Conductor were going to have a talk about this, regardless if the old man scared him shitless!

Still… Takuya couldn't help but proudly smirk as his students took to their lessons well against their opponents. Behemoth was facing the Serpion Imagin head-on, his great strength and near impenetrable skin a perfect match against the smaller monster's speed and poison. Leviathan and Carbuncle were going against the Gnoll Imagin, matching the mad creature's tactics were their interchanging offense and defense strategy. Bahamut had taken on his female doppelganger in claw-to-claw combat high in the sky above. With Aeon SF and Guardian Force FF taking Griever on together, that left the Ronin Imagin alone with his matched opponent.

Takuya's eyes widened and he managed to stand straight and true on his own two feet, towering over the petite Tifa, who fell back startled from his sudden movement. Hair the color of fire… eyes like those of a demon… a scar in the shape of a cross on his left cheek… These traits meant nothing for while the chances were one in a billion, appearances can be deceiving, but not the way he moved. Not the way he dodged and weaved as though he was a dragon on the wind, and most certain of all, there was no way he could have that sword.

The same sword strapped to Takuya's own waist.

An opening appeared in their battle and Youjimbo took it, sweeping the scarred man off his feet and bringing his sword down to slice his head from his body. Takuya moved at speeds he never could accomplish outside his armor, jumping into the air with a ferocious battle cry. Youjimbo twisted away from the strike, disappearing in a burst of sakura petals before reappearing far from where he once stood. He straightened and held his katana loosely in his armored hand, confident but serious. Takuya was standing between him and his quarry, a burning fire in his eyes. "Stay away from him!"

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"_Fire Wolf Spike!_"

"_Glacial Slash!_"

Fire and Ice twisted and turned about each other like serpents as they flew through the air and slammed against a wall of darkness before slowly being enveloped by the black light of Griever's Grimm Sabers. The arm-blades gained a dark purplish tint as the Black Chrono Rider crossed his arms over his chest.

"_Heartless._" He uncrossed his arms and unleashed a massive cross-shaped blast of energy launched forward at dazzling speeds.

"FUCK!" G-Force FF rolled out of the way and just managed to dodge the attack as it continued on through several buildings. "What the hell is this guy?!"

Aeon SF stood painfully to her feet. Unlike her fire-wielding companion, she had not managed to completely dodge the attack as her sparking armor could testify. "The Alpha Chrono Rider, in other words, our predecessor…"

"What?!"

Griever paused in his slow advance. "You know of me." Was it Hiro's imagination or did he sound… pleased?

"Nothing of you, just the armor you stole." Aeon SF argued.

Griever laughed. "Dear child, if you know of Griever than you know of the price paid to use it. What idiot would follow the first fool to oblivion?"

G-Force FF stood to his feet, fists ready and aflame. "Price? What the hell are you talking about?"

Aeon SF remained silent, much to Griever's amusement. "You don't know of the Exchange. Speak to the Conductor of it then, I've no time to waste playing with children who don't know the rules of the game."

"The hell you don't!" Guardian Force FF charged forward to the attack but he and Aeon were slammed back by an unseen blast of energy unleashed from Griever's hand. Lowering his arm down, the Alpha Chrono Rider turned his back on the downed Riders as they reverted back to their human selves with their Imagin partners lying unconscious behind them.

As though reacting to an unspoken command, Griever's soldiers struck hard and fast against their opponents, not dealing the same amount of damage as Griever himself but laid out enough hurt for the win. All except for Bahamut and Tiamat, whose battle remained deadlocked between them until the Dragon Imagin saw his friends' state down below. The distraction was enough for Tiamat to send her brother down with a blast of black draconic fire. Though wounded from the attack, Bahamut managed to land between Griever and the downed Chrono Riders.

"The first level is always the easiest." Griever said to himself with a sad sigh. He looked at Tiamat as she landed beside him. "Our side-quest begins." He didn't look back as he called to Hiro and Abigail. "We'll meet at the final stage my fellow Riders. See you at the next level." Serpion, Gnoll, and Youjimbo stood at his side as black smoke billowed out from his feet, obscuring them from view. A gust of wind blow the smoke away and they were gone.

"Well that's just fan-fucking-tastic isn't it?!" Takuya hobbled over to Hiro, favoring his left leg. The damn Ronin Imagin had suddenly gone from samurai to ninja on him and had managed to stab him with a few good throws of kunai. "What the hell, can't we just have one major villain that ain't some kind of damn demi-god, Kamen Rider, or a combination of them both?!"

"Oh shut up, Yashima…" groaned Abigail as Tonberry appeared at her side and helped her sit up.

"Grrrr… what the fuck hit me?" Ifrit sat up with a pained groan and looked around. "Fuck, he got away didn't he?"

"That he did, Ssssempai." Leviathan walked up to them with Carbuncle resting atop his serpentine head. His webbed flippers were torn in some places and Carbuncle looked to have gotten a few close shaves. Behemoth stomped over to them without a word, uninjured for the most part save for his sense of pride.

Ifrit turned a heated glare at Bahamut only for his eyes to fall upon the unconscious Ice Imagin. "Shiva!" He was at her side in an instant, shaking her awake. "Not again! Don't you…" He trailed off, confused with his words and the strange sense that this wasn't the first time he had found Shiva in such a state. Fortunately, this time wasn't as bad as the forgotten memory as Shiva awoke with a gasp and a sharp glare aimed at the Hellhound Imagin. Ifrit quickly let her go and backed off.

"Who, or what, are you guys?" The group turned to the bokken-weilding young woman and her young protégé. She was young, a year or two older than Takuya at best, and her student was no older than Hiro. The brawler stood back giving them a critical eye aimed at the monstrous Behemoth. The scarred swordsman stood beside her calm as can be though he turned a wondering eye at the Imagin, but his main focus was on Takuya who openly stared at him.

"I believe some introductions are in order," said the Conductor as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere with Yuffie and Tifa at his side.

"Yahiko Myojin, student of the Kamiya Kasshin School, bit of a loudmouth but overall an okay student." The tanned youth blinked and scowled. "Sanosuke Sagara, formerly known as the fight merchant Zanza for his uncanny ability to wield the zanbato like it were but a piece of bamboo." The brawler cocked his head and gave a grin, apparently his reputation preceded him. "Kaoru… Kamiya… Adjutant master and teacher of the Kamiya Kasshin School, a unique school in that it believes in katsujin-ken, the sword that gives life. A childish belief… but a noble one." The young lady went from glaring angry to smiling pleasantly at the change of his words.

"Kenshin Himura. One of the greatest swordsmen Japan has ever known who fought on the side of the Ishin Shishi and earned the title of Hitokiri Battousai for his mastery of the battoujutsu and his sword style of Hiten Mitsurugi that pits one against many. At the end of the revolution he left the hitokiri behind and became a rurouni, taking a vow to never kill again. Though he still wears a sword, it is one-of-a-kind… a sakabatou, a reversed-blade sword. A sword that can never kill." The scarred man's eyes widened only marginally but he kept his simple smile though all his attention was on the one who had spoken.

Hiro stared in wonder at Takuya. "Takuya-sensei…? You know them?"

Takuya gave a tiny nod, his eyes never leaving Kenshin's though he towered over the older man. "Better than anyone alive, at least in this time anyway…" He chuckled remembering something from the past. "I never did believe father when he told me of how short you were …"

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked and blushed faintly in annoyance. He wasn't that small… compared to Miss Kaoru…

"Still… it is a great honor to meet you." Takuya bowed before Kenshin. "Grandfather."

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Yuffie-chan:_ Oh, how did it come to this? Lord Chronos… how can he be so strong? Even teamed up, Aeon and Guardian Force couldn't defeat him! What does he mean by reclaiming what he lost? Is he really against us or is he on his own side? Oh, that jerk of a sensei! I can't believe Takuya went and kidnapped his ancestors! The Conductor is going to be sooo mad!

_The Future's In Sight; Eden's Finding_


	15. The Future's In Sight

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

* * *

****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_The Future's In Sight; Eden's Finding_

The aftermath of Takuya's little slip was both amusing and troublesome for the time-travelers. Making a hasty retreat to the Kamiya Dojo, the group had explained as best they could of who they were, what they were doing there, that yes the monsters were in fact with them and no they would not devour their souls to drag them to the deepest pit of hell. This last part wasn't made any easier by Ifrit who purposely demonstrated his mastery over fire whenever the subject was brought up.

Of course, the situation deteriorated when Megumi Takani arrived with the two grandchildren of her fellow doctor. Upon coming face-to-shin with the towering Behemoth caused the poor doctor to faint like a light. Ayame and Suzume positively fell in love with the childish Carbuncle and the pint-sized Imagin was currently teaching them the best ways to play a game of tag with Behemoth unwillingly acting as the playground for their antics.

During all this, Takuya remained unnaturally silent, keeping his eyes firmly on Kenshin and refusing to answer any questions about his relation to Kenshin. Of course, the only ones that didn't give up in asking the tall swordsman this was Kaoru and, once she was awakened and informed, Megumi but Takuya had practice in dealing with pushy women and left them to stew from his silence.

"I still don't trust you guys," grunted Sanosuke, putting space between the Imagin and himself. "You got the same demons as that Chronos guy had."

"For fuck's sake!" growled Ifrit. "We ain't no goddamn demons! Get that through your fuzzy head Rooster-for-brains!"

"Enough!" yelled Tifa, "we need to focus on stopping Chronos, not this stupid bantering!"

"Conductor?" Hiro spoke hesitantly. "How is it that Chronos is a Chrono Rider like Abigail and I? Is that why he wants the Eden-Liner, because it's rightfully his?"

"… In essence, yes, the Eden-Liner belongs to Griever so it can be assumed that is what he wants it for," answered the Conductor.

Takuya's eyes narrowed. "That old fucker also said something about an Exchange. What did he mean by that?"

The Conductor turned his eyes to the last Yashima. "I am sure that it isn't any of your concern."

"It concerns my kohai so it concerns me, and when it concerns me, it concerns the rest of the Riders. I don't know what kind of talk you had with Kusanagi and Sensei, and I don't quite give a fuck but I refuse to be coddled like some damn kid. You ain't Dumbledoring with us, Conductor."

Hiro swallowed and nervously looked at the older man, worried that he'd obliterate Takuya like he had supposedly destroyed that Cage Imagin that held Leviathan and the others. Instead of anger, the Conductor smiled as though pleased with Takuya's response.

"One cannot receive with giving something of equivalent value in return. That is the principle behind all existence, the principle of equivalent exchange. You gave up a portion of your humanity to become a Daikaiju Rider did you not?"

Takuya's scowl deepened and a faint wave of killing intent expanded outward from him. "I gave up a lot more than that, but this isn't about me. What about the Chrono Riders?"

"For our young Hiro, he must give up control of his body and allow another to… pilot him in a sense. By using the shared power between a singularity point and an Imagin, Guardian Force is born." The Conductor explained. "Griever, being the first Chrono Rider, was not created with this exchange in mind. He is the most powerful of the three but the price he pays to don that armor is too steep. By becoming Griever… he gave up existence."

That earned a stunned silence from the group.

"His existence?" repeated Yahiko. "What, like, he's a ghost or something?"

"No, not a ghost." Conductor shook his head. "As a singularity point, any change to time does not affect him and so he exists through the changes however small or large, with most, if not all, of his memories intact. However, by becoming Griever he has forgotten everything. His name, his family, everything that was his own is lost to him for all of eternity. He belongs to no actual time or place and the armor is all that keeps him alive in that sense."

Hushed exclamations of shock and horror were whispered amongst the group.

"Why does he want the Eden-Liner then?" asked Behemoth, sticking his head through the open door from where he sat outside. "Does he wish to rejoin our cause perhaps?"

"He does not even recall it so there is little hope of that," said Conductor. "No, if anything, he believes that the Eden-Liner can restore to him what he has lost."

"… What about Abigail?" Hiro suddenly asked.

"What about me?" snapped the white-haired girl.

Hiro flinched and looked guilty for but a moment before he firmed his resolve. "When Chronos was talking about the price he paid, he mentioned you or Aeon if you want to be specific about it. He didn't care at all about what my exchange was, only yours."

Abigail's eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits but she grunted and looked away, speaking to Conductor. "Tell them if you want, I don't care."

The Conductor looked to Abigail who sat with Tonberry and Shiva on either side, acting as silent sentries. "If that is what you wish." He sighed but continued, "Aeon was created before Guardian Force and after Griever and so became a mixed result. She does not pay the same price as Griever but it is similar. Instead of her existence, someone loses their memory of her. It will be like she has never existed but she still keeps her memories of herself, which cannot be said for Griever."

"You know who he is."

Conductor raised a leveled stare with Takuya. "Oh? And where do you come to this conclusion?"

"First, you know way too damn much about the Chrono Riders and how they function to not have had a hand in their creation. Second, you're the goddamned Conductor of the Eido-Liner, like hell you wouldn't know. Third, you've never called him by Chronos which means you know that isn't his true name."

The Conductor remained silent before chuckling and shaking his head. "Setsuna was right about her assumption of you. Though undeniably crass, you are very astute, I commend you for that, however, the hour is late and I believe it's time that Yuffie-chan and I retire back to the Eido-Liner. I suggest the rest of you do the same. Tomorrow may be your last yesterday."

He and Yuffie were gone in the blink of an eye without any sound or motion, a seamless teleportation that had Takuya fuming on the inside.

"How the hell are we supposed to track that Chronos fucker down when we don't know where he is or where he's going?!" growled Ifrit.

"Ifrit." Shiva suddenly spoke up. He turned to her and she tapped him on the nose. He growled, flushing beneath his fur.

"Well, what about the Eden-Liner?! How do we know he ain't gonna call that damn thing up while we're wastin' time sleeping?!"

"The Eden-Liner is a chrono-liner, just like the Proto-Liner and Eido-Liner, dog." Abigail grunted, rising to her feet. "Meaning it can only be accessed at certain times. If the Conductor isn't worried about Griever getting to it before us, then time is on our side. For once." Without another word, she left to the Proto-Liner.

Sanosuke stared at the door before shaking his head. "That is just plain weird."

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Tiamat's eyes glistened in the dark, the only one awake save for her lord and master. He did not require sleep, not as he is now, but she knew he missed it. A common thing turned rare as a begotten memory.

"The stars are shining brightly tonight." Chronos whispered, more to himself than to her. "Perhaps then the war is over and the shadows have retreated to the dusk that is their true home instead of infecting the brightly shining hearts of those lonely worlds."

Tiamat looked to the heavens and wondered not for the first time what life was like beyond the boundaries of the old kingdom. Even those few outer-rim worlds may have been spared from the darkness but she knew in her heart that was a lie. "What do you plan to do my Lord?" she whispered in the blackness of the night.

"What I plan to do…?" repeated Chronos before shaking his head. "A lot of things, my dear Tiamat. A lot of things…"

Tiamat frowned and rephrased the question. "What do you plan to do with Guardian Force and Aeon? Surely, they'll try and stop you from using the Eden-Liner."

"They can try and deny me what is mine but they will fail, this much I know for fact." Chronos whispered tiredly, his bandaged hand clutched in a tight fist. "After that… I don't know." Tiamat opened her mouth to say something more but Chronos silenced her with a raised hand. "Enough. Leave me with the winds for company."

Tiamat frowned but did as her lord commanded and walked back to the others but paused.

"Youjimbo."

"Tiamat."

"Playing the double agent again are we?"

"Me? I play whatever game happens to earn me my pay. At the moment, the top player is Chronos and that's unlikely to change. Until I get paid that is."

"Your devotion to your priorities never ceases to astound me."

"Someone has to, Princess."

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The frosted winds blew the never-ending sands across the desert plains with dancelike grace, carving intricate portraits in the darkness of the sky. The first sign of life stepped forth from the regressing sea, the last dinosaur gave a final primordial roar as the skies burned and lands so full of life became devoured under a screen of ice. A scientist sat beneath a tree and was painfully introduced to gravity's force, an artist painted the world's most famous smile, and a mathematician became a novelist with the writings of a nonsensical world. This and so much more could be seen by any of the Hadesians with the proper talent for chronal sight. However, while it was talent to see through to the truth swirling amongst the sands, it took practice to be able to bend the sand to one's will, to see what was needed to be seen.

His eyes felt like lead in his skull and he was quite sure he'd go blind if he kept this up but… yes! Yes he could see it! Silver towers amidst a sea of ivory and platinum and in the sky… a globe of greens and blues.

"I see it, Auntie!" He exclaimed with joy, his eyes remaining focused on what the sands showed him. "Wow… is that really the capital?"

His aunt smiled and though she was dressed in the casual royal attire instead of her more familiar battle uniform, she held her treasured staff loosely in her hand. "It is more spectacular with your own eyes, Young Prince. Now, continue your focus, let's see if you can find our Lady Monarch, hmm?"

"What? But Auntie, I've never tried to focus on someone before! And shouldn't she be really hard to scry anyway?" he asked, taking his eyes away from the sands but holding his focus on the present steady.

"Hmmm… true," she said, nodding in agreement. "Father was the one who set up those protections and you're a beginner still… Alright then, try to find someone on the planet then."

"Okay, I'll try…" Amber eyes lost their pupils and the sands whirled tightly, twisting about until an image began to slowly appear. The boy gasped. "A youma! Auntie, I see a youma!"

His aunt stiffened, her grip on her staff tight as iron. "Impossible… Describe it to me."

"Uh… it's big, I mean, bigger than a r'gular person and it… kinda looks like a wolf but with big spikes on his head… there's another youma with him, a snake? No, a serpent!"

Behind him, his aunt relaxed as she realized what, or rather who, her nephew was seeing. "Those are not youma, Young Prince. Do you recall your lessons about Earth? Specifically why it is a separate kingdom from our own?"

"Earth is unique in that it is a planet capable of producing more than a singular set of anything. From crops to rare and powerful magic, Earth's an untapped mana potential, and because of this, the people of Earth are able to use all types of elemental forces and are not limited to any set type of magical abilities." He recited his teacher perfectly and she nodded in satisfaction with his knowledge.

"The people of Earth are also unique in that they are divided into two races," she told him. "The common-found Terrans of our galaxy and the rare but far more powerful Gaians."

"Gaians? Those were actual Gaians? They looked so…"

"Monstrous, yes but if there's one thing this galaxy has come to accept is that appearances serve more as a deception than a base truth. Judge nothing by how it appears but by how it acts." She smiled, looking proudly at her nephew. "You're further along than I expected, Young Prince. To have seen those two—"

"Means a great deal of power resides in you, little man-cub." A deep booming voice echoed the hallowed halls of the castle but where the young boy in question started visibly, his aunt remained quite calm and seemed actually pleased by their sudden visitor. The young boy stared up and up until he fell flat on his back in surprise at the gigantic form of the Gaian standing with all the regality of a king.

"Young Prince, remember your lessons in etiquette. This is the Gaian King you see before you, not someone to gawk over like a child."

The King chuckled waving a clawed hand. "Think nothing of it, Time Watcher. It is a common reaction to most that first see a Gaian in the flesh." He leaned down so that he could get a better look at the boy who could easily see his reflection in the golden orb. "Hmmm… amber eyes…"

"Your Lordship?" The boy tilted his head in confusion.

The Gaian King stood upright, the horns of his reptilian head just brushing the ceiling. "It is of no importance. For now at least. Now that my curiosity has been satisfied I shall bid you both fair travels." He inclined his head to his aunt, a show of respect but not to one of a higher class. "Watcher." The boy gulped as the Gaian King's eyes fell upon him once more his fangs spread into a vicious smile. He inclined his long neck in what passed for a bow for a creature such as him. "Hero."

"Hiro…"

"Hiro…!"

"HIRO!"

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Hiroyuki Kaneda awoke with a start, gasping for breath and drenched in a cold sweat. His eyes were wide and they looked about in hectic confusion until they fell upon a startled Tifa who was kneeling by his side with the Ima-tachi crowding behind her. The girl leaned forward in concern.

"Are you alright, Hiro?"

"I… what…" Hiro shook his head, trying to calm down from… what he didn't know just something that was like a memory turned into a dream.

"Baka-teme, don't tell me you've got nightmares now, that'll just make this shit all the better!" growled Ifrit, looking quite irritated without his morning cup of caffeine.

Leviathan pressed a cup of odd colored liquid in Hiro's hands. "Drink thisss. It should calm your nervesss."

Hiro took a sip and nearly gagged at the flavor. He sent a pleading look at the Serpent Imagin that was completely ignored. Hiro sighed and prepared to take another drink of the foul tasting concoction. "Did something happen?"

"Kaze-sensei has kidnapped his great-grandfather and Kamiya-san." Behemoth stated in his usual blunt way, backing out of the room just in time as Hiro sacrificed his drink to the gods of the spit-take.

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Contrary to how the Beast Imagin had put it, Takuya hadn't kidnapped his ancestors. Well, not completely but that was beside the point. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon as he set a sleeping Kaoru Kamiya down gently upon the ground, letting her comatose body lean against the cool stone of the small shrine out far from the prying eyes. He turned and wasn't surprised to see Kenshin standing not far behind him without his sword in hand. Takuya tilted his head and chuckled.

"You know I mean her no harm. She is as important to me as she is to you, Grandfather."

Kenshin twitched at the title, but otherwise kept his usual happy façade. "So I see. Why then did you take her all the way out here?"

"Because I knew you would follow me," answered Takuya.

"Ah. I am confused then, that I am. What do you gain by bringing us here?"

"I… I don't know." Takuya shook his head, glaring down at the ground, refusing to meet those familiar eyes. "There's so much I want to tell you, so much I want to ask you but I… I don't know what…"

Kenshin tilted his head. "Didn't Miss Abigail warn you of speaking of the future to us? I do not disagree with her, that I do not."

"That's the problem!" yelled Takuya, "I… how can you just stand here, acting so damn calm when half of the whole damn country hates your guts for doing the right thing! Battousai was a hero, not a killer but those damned fuckers paint you as some, some kind of monster! It isn't right god damn it!"

Kenshin sighed. This was a familiar argument though it came from a different person. "It is how it is. What more can this one do then what he hasn't already done?"

"You can tell them the truth!" Takuya stomped forward glaring down at the older man. "You can stop trying to take the whole damn world's problems on yourself!"

"It sounds as though you are speaking more about yourself than this one, that it does." Kenshin spoke softly.

Takuya winced and glared heatedly at the sky. "You sound just like Kaoru-chan…"

"Kaoru-chan?" Kenshin's eyes drifted to the Kamiya school master.

"…… My sister…" Takuya revealed. "You know who she is named for."

"I see."

"Do you? Do you really?" Takuya faced Kenshin dead in the eyes. "I am the last of your blood, Grandfather. Once, the Yashima were a prestigious clan, not royalty by any means but people respected us for what we did for our country. More so whenever your old name was brought up. The whole of our clan barely survived the disaster that happened in my alternate future. My mother died protecting me and my sister. My father died fighting his troops who were turned against him and Kaoru-chan… Kaoru-chan died because I was too damn arrogant and bull-headed to believe that my beloved was a thieving murderer.

"Do you know why my clan was called the Yashima instead of Himura?" growled Takuya, looking more furious than before with angry tears falling down his face. "Because my great-grandfather, your _son_, changed it upon marrying his wife. He changed it because he couldn't stand the idea of being the son of a man who ran from happiness, who threw his life away for those who'd sooner kill him than give their thanks! The man who murdered his mother!"

Kenshin backed away from Takuya, his eyes wide before narrowing into thin angry slits where bits of amber began to shine in amethyst orbs. "I would never—"

"You didn't. You and your damn martyrdom is what killed you and grandmother. You went and became a god-damn wanderer again and ended up with leprosy. You didn't want to give it to grandmother but… she wanted to share your pain, to die by your side." Takuya's ear twitched but his eyes were drawn towards the darkening sky. There were no clouds but rather the sky as a whole was rapidly fading to a dark blackness and the sun's light was fading, twisting into a malformed shade of blood on the horizon.

"It's begun…"

"So it has, de gozaru…" Kenshin's eyes fell to gaze upon Takuya. "You will try and prevent me from assisting, that you will."

"Try?" Takuya shook his head. "Grandfather, I don't try. I do." Before the red-haired swordsman could react, the air in his lungs was violently pulled out as another gust hit him square in the torso with the strength of a cannonball. Takuya was already behind him and carefully taking him to lie down beside Kaoru. Blue eyes met. "Keep him safe for me? He might be an idiot martyr, but the two of you… You are all the family I have left in this world… even if I'm nearly a century ahead of you."

"… Will you be okay?"

Takuya rose to his feet. "I ain't died yet and I don't plan on doing so. I've got a lady of my own in the future. It was an honor meeting you, grandmother…"

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_Roughly fifteen minutes ago… at the base of Mount Fuji_

"This the place, boss?" questioned Gnoll, glaring up at the snowcapped mountain with a disdainful grin. "It don't look like much of a hiding spot!" He laughed at an unheard joke.

Serpion glared at the snow and ice covering the mountain's highest peak. "It does seem a tad… obvious, sire." He glanced up at the silent Chronos. "Are you quite certain?"

Youjimbo remained silent though his canine companion was growling, teeth bared and hackles raised in the direction of the mountain. Beside him, Tiamat scowled most heatedly at the two Imagin for their lack of faith in their lord and master when the man's shoulders suddenly began to quiver before he broke into loud, delirious laughter.

"This feeling! Yes, this is memory! With every passing second I can feel my true self returning!" Chronos suddenly turned serious, and turned glazed eyes to his minions. "It's your turn… Diablos…" Chronos' shadow stretched back along the ground before a swarm of bats flew to the heavens. The other Imagin were startled by this but kept their eyes on the flight of bats as they condensed together high above the mountain until a vast black orb hung above Mount Fuji like a black moon. A winged form of a devil slowly bled out from beneath the orb, spreading ebony wings wide. His face was set in a permanent grin which spread wider as a clawed hand reached upwards into the orb with streams of energy condensing around it, pulling the vast sphere down into his claws.

"_Dark Messenger_…" The sphere was shot downwards, slamming and enveloping Mount Fuji whole as ancient arcane circles were carved into the very air. As the attack faded into a dark mist, one could plainly see the large circular crater filled with a molten sea of lava that stood as a grave for the once grand mountain. Diablos flew down and landed beside Tiamat, who spared the Devil Imagin a single glare before returning her attention to her master as he transformed.

"Start it up."

"START GAME! GRIEVER FORM!" A flash of darkness and Kamen Rider Griever stood before the Imagin. He held up the empty Master Pass. With his other hand, Griever held up the ticket to Infinity and slowly placed it inside. There was a crash like breaking glass before the sea of lava began to froth and boil as the skies darkened to blackness. A loud sound of a train's whistle came from behind the group and the Imagin turned just in time to see Guardian Force Fist Form arrive onto the scene with his Imagin partners backing him up. There was no sign of Aeon but that didn't concern the Dark Imagin any.

Griever didn't bother turning around to address his successor. "You're too late. Once the doorway is unlocked, it cannot be held shut. Eden comes."

"Then I guess we're just going to have to kick your ass before it gets here, bastard!" roared G-Force FF, charging at the Black Chrono-Rider only to get smacked to the side by the grinning Diablos. "The hell?! Who're you?!"

"The beginning of your worst nightmare!" Diablos cackled and charged forward to the attack.

Like an unheard signal, the Imagin began the attack, taking on their choice opponents once more. Behemoth matched brute force and unbeatable defense to Serpion's poison and agility. Leviathan took to the same manner as Carbuncle and together the two fought in tandem with hit-and-run tactics against Gnoll and Youjimbo, randomly switching between their opponents. Bahamut had long since taken to the air with Tiamat on his tail, the two trading blows and words between them and though he kept his aloof façade, one could almost feel the anger in the Dragon Imagin's voice.

"Consorting with demons now sister?!" Bahamut's gunblade clanged against Tiamat's gunlance. "What would mother think of you now?"

Tiamat's eyes widened before she roared in a loud rage, breathing black fire straight into her twin's face. Bahamut fell back and allowed gravity to take control as his enraged sister gave chase after him.

Below, G-Force FF dodge another vicious claw swipe from the Devil Imagin, bouncing up and away to land on Behemoth's back. "Where the hell is Aeon?!"

_"She said she'd meet us here with something to stop the Eden-Liner, Ifrit,"_ responded Hiro. _"She'll be here."_

Guardian Force FF growled and shot forwards at a downward angle at Diablos, fire alighting in the Ali Shar gauntlets. Dirt and debris exploded upwards before the Devil Imagin shot heavenwards, cackling in masochistic rapture from its burns. The insane Imagin turned to look down up G-Force FF, black energy gathering in his claws before the sound of a choir singing echoed in the air. The fighting slowed to a halt as all eyes went to the sea of lava that was slowly morphing into quicksilver. The surface rippled like water before the song reached its crescendo and the Eden-Liner burst forth with all its glory.

Though tied down to traveling along the golden tracks it generated, the Eden-Liner resembled an angelic disc complete with large feathered wings and the face of a sleeping woman at its fore. Made of pure ivory and shining pearls, the Eden-Liner positively glowed in the black abyss of the sky and seemed a stark contrast to its designated Rider who stood proudly in victory before the might chrono-liner.

Griever turned to address Guardian Force FF. "Time as you know it, is over. With the Eden-Liner, I will restore this future as it was meant to be. I shall fix the mistakes Serenity made eons ago and bring back the Imagin as they should be! Even if it means returning this world to the Dark Ages to do it."

"The hell that you will!" growled Guardian Force FF, charging forward with arms ablaze. "_Fire Wolf Spike!_"

"_Heartless._" A powerful backhand and Guardian Force was sent flying, his transformation disengaged and the two forms of Ifrit and Hiro skidding painfully along the ground. Hiro gasped in pain, his face pressed into the dirt of the ground as Griever pressed his foot down upon his back. Hiro's Imagin started forward but stopped as Griever dropped his bladed forearm close to Hiro's neck.

"You are beginning to become a weed in my beautiful garden, boy," whispered Griever, sounding more tired than angry though he held the blade dangerously close to Hiro's neck. "And if there's one thing I've remembered these countless years, it is best to cut the bud before it has a chance to bloom." A twitch of Griever's hand and he suddenly held a blank Slot Ticket. He held it over Hiro's head and his eyes fell only upon the date. He smirked. "The twenty-ninth of February. Oh, the irony." He looked down at Hiro. "Say goodbye to your future, boy. It ends where it begins."

Without another word. Griever stepped back from Hiro and leapt skyward as the Eden-Liner came soaring past with his Imagin following close behind. Tiamat was the last to board and though she spared a solitary glare at her brother, she followed her master faithfully.

Ifrit growled and pushed himself to his feet, brushing off Behemoth's offer to help. "Damn it, I'm getting sick of that bastard's hit-and-run shit!"

"Aren't we all, Sempai," hissed Leviathan, helping Hiro to his feet. "Are you well, Hiro?"

Hiro swallowed and nodded though he was only now getting his breathing under control, fear was gripping his heart in a cold vice.

Behemoth looked to the sky as it slowly returned to normal. "How will we find them now? They could be anywhere in any time."

"February 29, 1992…"

"What?" The Ima-tachi looked to Hiro.

"February 29, 1992… my birthday."

Leviathan, Behemoth, and Ifrit traded looks before the Serpent Imagin spoke, "Hiro, are you—"

Bahamut suddenly placed a firm hand on Leviathan's shoulder, pointing to the approaching Proto-Liner. "The cavalry is here."

_------------------------------------------------Proto-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

"Where in the hell were all of you?!" roared Ifrit. "We could have used the help god damn it!"

Leviathan, though calm in appearance, was just as enraged as the Hellhound Imagin. "We were in serioussss jeopardy without your aid, Sensssei."

Behemoth towered over them all, glaring down at them like ants. "Our victory would have been assured and the battle won, but now the battle is over with the favor to Griever and his honor less band."

Takuya growled and a rush of killing intent flooded the cramped space of the Proto-Liner. "It was a matter of family that took me away from my duty as your sensei, but my crime means little as the only business I have here at all is with you idiots. The better person to blame would be the albino."

Shiva leveled a stern glare at the Yashima and Tonberry was mumbling quietly about knives and proper amounts of rust when the door opened to reveal Abigail who walked over to Hiro without any preamble. "Here." She handed him a small device. "I wasn't there because I had to retrieve this for you."

Hiro stared down at the object in question before looking up at Abigail. "It's a cell phone."

"Yes." Abigail agreed.

"Is the cell phone going to help…?" he asked dubiously glancing at the red-colored device.

Abigail's eyes narrowed and she held out her hand. "If you don't want it, give it back."

Hiro clutched the cell phone close, half-turning away from the ivory-haired youth. "No."

"It will help." She turned and headed back to the engine room. "Get ready, we'll be arriving shortly after Griever."

She left with Shiva and Tonberry following faithfully behind her. Alone with his students, Takuya turned to address his young protégé. "Hiro…"

The younger boy glanced up at Takuya, slightly unnerved by the concern and regret in his sensei's eyes. "It's okay, sensei!" He said, scratching at the base of his ponytail. "Family's important right? Family is worth more than its weight in gold."

Takuya's eyes narrowed slightly and he stared at Hiro for a long moment before suddenly nodding and grinning with his usual feral air. "Alright then! I might not be able to step in to the next fight but I expect a good ass-kicking! Ya got that?!"

"Hai, sempai."

"I said do you got that?!" roared Takuya.

"HAI, SEMPAI!"

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February 29, 1992

It appeared out of nowhere, the vast destruction that turned Tokyo and its neighboring sectors into vast ruins. It was spreading further, where it soon envelop all of Japan before devouring the entire world until its influence would spread to the ends of the universe and in that very instant, February 29, 1992… would cease to exist. In the exact epicenter of this stood Griever, his arms crossed and his eyes aimed towards the heaven.

The Gnoll Imagin twittered about nervously, his eyes shifting about in obvious agitation. "I don't like this, no, no, no. Why are we waiting out here in the open like this?"

The Serpion Imagin scoffed at Gnoll's obvious cowardice and remained seated with his scorpion's tail wrapped around him as though forming an unseen barrier between him and the rest of the world. "It is our Lord's will that we wait, so wait we shall."

"But for what?!" growled Gnoll, shifting closer to Serpion and giving Diablos a wider berth. "I don't like this one bit. Next, we'll be consorting with Her!"

Serpion's tail was dangerously close to piercing Gnoll's throat but the bigger threat was in Tiamat's gunlance which was pressed between his eyes. "Speak of the devil and She shall appear, Gnoll. Not just pretty words. Leave Her forgotten in our memories where She belongs."

Gnoll's eyes twirled about and the two Imagin backed off. Sighing in relief, Gnoll looked back at Youjimbo. "Ain't ya gonna say something 'bout this?"

The Ronin Imagin hand twitched and a kunai found itself grasped tightly in his fingers. "My payment will be here shortly."

"What do you—ACK!" The kunai lodged itself in the Gnoll Imagin's eye just as the Proto-Liner burst onto the scene. Serpion turned, screeching in a fierce rage as Youjimbo unsheathed his sword and jumped aside to dodge a blast of dark magic from the Devil Imagin. Several more kunai in hand, the Ronin Imagin let the knives fly and watched in satisfaction as they met their mark on the Serpion Imagin's tail, piercing and holding the deadly limb down upon the ground long enough for Youjimbo to behead the chimerical monster with his blade and with the deadly poison arming it, turned the sharpened steel to Gnoll who struggled to the defense but with one eye to see, he too fell just as quickly as his comrade.

A blast of dragon fire nearly burned Youjimbo's back had he not teleported out of range of the mystical flames. Both Tiamat and Diablos were closing in on him from opposing sides; one with nothing but maddened glee and the other with burning rage. The Ronin Imagin looked between them and smirked before disappearing in a swirl of sakura petals. His dog barked in annoyance before he too was enveloped by the flower storm and disappeared from sight amidst Tiamat's enraged screams.

_------------------------------------------------Proto-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Tifa watched with no small bit of trepidation as Hiro and Abigail, along with their mutual Imagin, leapt out of the speeding Proto-Liner to take on what could very well be their greatest battle yet. Beside her, Takuya stood with a scowl on his face, grumbling under his breath about the unfairness of it all when there was a sudden swarm of sakura petals in the dining area of the Proto-Liner. Once the storm died down, Takuya and Tifa were shocked out of their minds to see Youjimbo kneeling on the ground with a small doglike Imagin whining piteously beside him.

"You!" Takuya's sakabatou was unsheathed and aimed straight at the Ronin Imagin's face, ignoring the threatening growls of Youjimbo's dogs. "How the hell did you get here?!"

Youjimbo took a few more pained gasps before rising to his feet, towering over the two humans. "I am here to inform you that Gnoll and Serpion are dead. I could not stand against Diablos and Tiamat together so I'll accept a… decrease… in my pay."

"In your pay?" repeated Tifa. "You mean you're a spy!"

"I prefer the term of mercenary but yes, that was my role in this mission." Youjimbo nodded.

Takuya's sword never lowered but the fierce desire to slice Youjimbo's head off slowly left his eyes. "If that's the case, why then did you help give Chronos the Master Pass, eh? Did your client pay you to do that as well?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes I did." Tifa shrieked and Takuya whirled around, sword up but froze in place as he stared in open-mouthed shock.

"You?!"

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February 29, 1992

Griever stood just in front of the Eden-Liner as it rested in the epicenter of the spreading destruction. His armored hand was raised and stroking the sleeping face at the fore of the powerful chrono-liner. "Soon… soon it will all be over…"

"You got that right!" Griever didn't need to bother with looking behind him. He knew who was there not only by recognition but by the large amounts of chronal energy surrounding them. This time however, he would not dirty his hands with them.

"Diablos. Tiamat." He spoke softly. "Take care of them will you?" Diablos cackled madly and charged straight into Aeon, shoving her back even as she lashed at him with her Morgan. The Devil Imagin only screamed in ecstasy at the pain and continued on the assault. Tiamat took to the sky, her gunlance appearing in clawed hand only to be intercepted by a familiar winged form.

Tiamat growled and took to the clouds with her brother following close behind. "You never cease to make a pest of yourself do you, brother?!"

For once, Bahamut remained silent to his sister's words. This was the last encounter between them, he knew it. This time, there would be no escape for either of them. Only one of them would be walking away from this and though it pained him to even think about it, Bahamut knew he had no choice if he was to stop Her.

Even if it meant killing his only sister.

Griever's shoulders sagged as he sighed, shaking his head. Such good help was hard to find these days… either they were about as worthless as a herd of lame horses or they were so good they'd decide to strike out on their own or turn traitor. On one hand, he was rather glad to be rid of the idiot Gnoll and the useless Serpion but really, did it have to cost him one of his best non-partnered Imagin? Shaking his head once more, he whispered softly to the Eden-Liner, "I'll be right back…" before turning to face Guardian Force.

Griever cocked an eyebrow underneath his helmet. Guardian Force was standing there with all four of his Imagin at his side; Ifrit and Behemoth on his left, and Leviathan and Carbuncle to his right, but more than that he was still in the armor's base form, Knight Form.

"Do you plan on facing me alone now child?" asked Griever. "Or perhaps you've accepted the fact that you've lost before you've even begun."

G-Force's hands clenched tight but he remained firm against the Black Chrono Rider's words. He sighed and looked to his predecessor. "I give you this one chance, Griever. Stop this destruction before it can be completed. You don't have to do this."

"See, now that's where you're wrong." With a twist of his arms, Griever now held his Grimm Sabers. "Once the Eden-Liner starts to destroy a point in the time, it remains lost forever. Only with its destruction can the damage it has done be undone and that, little boy, is something I will NOT let you do."

"Then, to preserve the flow of time, I will end your reign here." Guardian Force whipped out the CHARGE Cell and dialed 4-3-7-6.

"UNITED!" The small device roared as Guardian Force locked it down into his DiscLoader Buckle.

"Whoa!" The Ima-tachi suddenly burst into their globe forms and entered into Guardian Force as a dark crimson cloak enveloped him from sight. The cloak suddenly stilled, falling around G-Force's shoulders, hiding his body and the lower half of his helmet which had now changed to something worn by ancient warriors of the Indian regions of Asia.

"GILGAMESH FORM!"

Griever took a step back more from the sudden explosion of energy than actual fear. "Am I supposed to be impressed? I see no gain in this form."

**_"Well then…"_** spoke Guardian Force GF not with two voices but five united as one. **_"Let us show you what we can do! Shining Star!"_** The HueHue suddenly launched out from within the billowing folds of G-Force GF's cloak. The spinning disc shot past Griever who tracked it with his eyes shortly before he realized the mistake he made. **_"Aura Barrage!"_**

True to its name, a barrage of ballistic missiles launched out from within the folds of the younger Rider's cloak, all flying straight and true towards Griever who cursed his rookie mistake and leapt to the sky, rebounding off the Eden-Liner and drawing the missiles away from the powerful time train. Racing ahead of the ballistics, Griever saw that they were not made of steel and fire as he had assumed but water and ice, if the trail of snowflakes was of any indication. Snorting to himself, he crossed his swords over his chest. "_Heartless._" The cross-shaped energy wave sliced through the missiles, causing them to explode with massive intensity, freezing the very air with snow and ice.

Griever looked at the devastation caused by the attack and couldn't deny that he was impressed. That attack, had it actually hit, would have been severely damaging if not a giant hindrance and it wasn't powered by Full Charge either… Truly there was more to his successor than he gave credit for.

"I admit you have me surprised boy. However, your power boost is not enough to stop me."

**_"Why don't you ever…"_** Guardian Force GF threw back his cloak, revealing to an astonished Griever that he now possessed four arms. The top left colored like magma and alive with fire while its counterpart was a shining blue with streams of water coursing around it like snakes. The lower left arm was like jade with a rainbow of gems running along its surface while the other was colored a dark purple with hunks o stone floating gently in its upheld palm. **_"SHUT UP!"_**

The HueHue came bearing down upon Griever who smacked it aside and brought his other sword to bear just as Guardian Force GF charged forward with a roar of **_"Mountain Crusher!"_** G-Force GF's punch ducked under Griever's Grimm Saber and met with the older Rider's unguarded stomach, sending him flying back. However, despite having several ribs cracked from the blow, Griever reciprocated the attack with one of his own.

"_Heartless!_" The attack was launched at near point-blank range; G-Force GF had no hope of dodging it. So he opted for the next best thing.

**_"Ruby Light!"_** The reflective barrier surrounded G-Force GF just as Griever's attack came within impact range and the shield buckled under the intensity of the attack before it at last failed and sent Guardian Force GF stumbling back, his cloak smoking and more than one voice speaking of their disorientation. Seeing his chance, Griever pressed the advantage while he still held it.

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A fair distance away, Aeon MF was having her own difficulties. The Devil Imagin was the strangest Imagin she had ever fought not only in form but in personality as well. The creature was obviously mad and masochistic for it met her attacks head-on, never surrendering to her attacks no matter what damage they caused him. In a way, it gave him the better tactical advantage for while she desired to feel no pain from his blows and had to resort to dodging and defending against them, Diablos held no such limitations.

Even now the Devil Imagin was flying circles around her like a vulture, cackling like a demented fool as he chucked orbs of darkness upon her, causing small explosions around the struggling Aeon MF. Once such explosion was powerful enough to send her tumbling along the ground, her armor dented and smoking. She groaned as she pushed herself up as Diablos flew higher into the air above her, cackling with mad abandon.

_"Let me help you Abigail!"_ came Shiva's voice. _"With my power we can defeat him!"_

Aeon MF shuddered, gasping for air as she shook her head. "No… it's won't be enough… to defeat a monster… like him… He… he's here on Her orders… you can feel Her touch… all over his stinking body…" She pushed herself to her feet, a black Aeon-card in her hand. "I have to use it…"

_"No! You know what will happen if you use a Black Card!"_ Shiva yelled. _"The price is too high Abigail!"_

"Heh… maybe it is but…" She turned to watch the battle between Griever and Guardian Force GF. "That idiot… has all that power… but he's still giving that bastard… a chance for redemption… he's the hero of this story… I'm just the tag-along…"

_"Abigail…"_

"Shiva… if I lose it… I want you to remember it for me… okay…?" Aeon MF brought the card down to her buckle. "Remember me… when no one else will… That is my wish…"

_"… As you wish it, so shall it be… Gabrielle."_

"AKU FORM!" The buckle announced as the colors of Aeon's armor started to rot and decay into shades of black and ash. The Magun twisted in fierce convulsions in her hand as the elements of life were overcome by the forces of death. Her helmet, once no different than a paladin's own, now looked like a distorted human skull locked forever in a never-ending scream.

Above, Diablos tilted his head, his grin shrinking in recognition. It was incomplete; a fragment at best, but it still resembled her so much… Though he could not recall her name, his distorted mind could remember the title which she earned on the battlefield.

"Mistress of Pain…" Diablos chuckled before diving down sharply, his claws at the ready to tear her asunder. "Let's see if you live up to your legacy!"

Aeon AF didn't so much as twitch her head as her arm raised up and fired the Anima gun straight into Diablos' face. "_Sadis._" Where there was one there was now a hundred bullets all piercing through the air on a direct course for the Devil Imagin. Cursing, Diablos barrel-rolled out of the way but several bullets struck his wings and right shoulder, piercing the flesh like a thousand burning needles. The Devil Imagin landed sloppily to the earth, rolling along the dirt before rising to his feet, growling in real rage now as his wings hung uselessly from his back.

"You will pay most dearly for this, I promise you that…" he hissed angrily before charging for her once more.

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Bahamut crashed to the earth with a pained grunt that turned into a horrible scream as Tiamat pierced his shoulder and top right wing with her gunlance. She pressed her clawed foot painfully on his bruised torso, twisting the circular blade in deeper, imbedding it in the destroyed concrete beneath her fallen brother. Bahamut's own gunblade pierced the ground not far from him but still beyond his physical reach.

"As always, I am the better fighter brother. Your compassion serves you nothing but a bitter end!"

Bahamut coughed a glob of bloodied sand before looking up into his sister's eyes. "I can say the same… for your damn monologing…" He reached up with his unwound arm to grasp his sister's gunlance tightly in his claws. "Tell me sister… in all these years… were you ever able to hear your weapon's name…?"

Tiamat growled, shooting a blast of dragon fire into Bahamut's face. It couldn't really hurt him, being a Dragon Imagin to her Dragoon, but the pain was still there. "A name serves a weapon no purpose." She growled. "There is no magic, no power, which comes from knowing it!"

Bahamut smiled despite himself. "Still the same… after all these years… assuming you know the truth… when all you've known… are the delusions you made for yourself…" Bahamut's eyes closed and he sighed softly to himself. "Goodbye, Tiamat."

Tiamat's eyes narrowed in confusion before they suddenly widened in pained shock. She stumbled back, away from Bahamut, holding her hands to her chest where the gunblade Ambrosius pierced her from behind. Bahamut's tail whipped up and pulled Tiamat's gunlance from his shoulder with a pained grunt and, using it as a crutch, pushed himself to his feet.

"How… is this possible…?" Tiamat fell to her knees, still clutching at her mortal wound, blood and sand pouring from it like rivers. "There's no power… it's just a name… it's just a stupid name…"

"A name means everything, sister." Bahamut whispered, looking down upon her with sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry you never learned that lesson from mother…"

Tiamat coughed, smiling at the memory. "At least… Lord Chronos can still fight… for the future of our kind… that prophecy… will never come to pass…!" Tiamat fell into the sands which gave her form, her unnamed weapon following after its master. Ambrosius wordlessly flew to Bahamut's hand, restoring some bit of his strength and dulling the pains of his wounds. He sank to his knees, gathering a small handful of sand. His great horned head bowed and tears fell from his eyes.

"You're wrong, Tiamat… it's already begun…"

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"Why won't you just give up and die?!" Griever roared, shooting another blast of energy at his opponent.

**_"Mountain Crusher!"_** Guardian Force GF's fists glowed with energy before they slammed the earth with amazing force, sending vast amounts of geokinetic energy shooting straight towards Griever, shattering his attack in the process. Cursing, Griever jumped out of the way of the attack watching as it continued on to topple a teetering skyscraper which then led to a domino effect on the surrounding buildings that still remained standing. He hated to admit it, but that was rather impressive.

"I give it a nine for destruction but a three in accuracy." Griever made a come-hither gesture. "Care to try again?"

**_"Gladly."_** Guardian Force GF stood tall, holding out all four of his hands out as though he was trying to grasp a bowl in the air. The sky air around the Conjoined Rider grew warm, reaching temperatures that started to melt the broken asphalt beneath his feet. Griever brought his Grimm Sabers up slowly, ready to move at the slightest sign when he realized just where he was standing.

"NO!" But it was already too late.

**_"Darkness Fire!"_** Flames the color of death itself burst into being in Guardian Force GF's hands, condensing together to form a sword that was utterly massive in size. A good hit and Griever could very well be killed but its size meant it was slow, easy to dodge. However, to dodge the attack… Would mean the destruction of the Eden-Liner that sat silently behind Griever.

Guardian Force GF raised the sword high, looking to his adversary and his partnered time train. "I'm sorry…"

He brought the sword down.

* * *

_To Be Continued...

* * *

_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_Corvus no Genmu:_ The final battle between Guardian Force and Griever has begun. The battle will be decided between past and future will at last be decided but the story isn't quiete close to being over yet. You thought the mess with the Eden-Liner was bad? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet!

_It Ends as it Begins; The Deception_


	16. The Deception Part One

Me: First of all, I'd like to apologize for my lack of updating with Guardian Force. It seemed as though every time I had an adequate ending in mind, a whole new one would pop up and suddenly, I wasn't so sure. Now however, the end is here! So sit back and enjoy the conclusion of Guardian Force!

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

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****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_It Ends as it Begins; The Deception Part One_

"No… No, please…" Griever rose shakily to his feet, staring at the burning remains of the Eden-Liner. He stumbled forward but his foot impacted against something, bringing his eyes down to the slightly charred remains of the Eden-Liner's "face". The Black Chrono Rider reached down and gently grasped the broken piece with reverent hands, his shoulders trembling as he stared at the sleeping face so human yet alien. He hadn't moved he knew he hadn't moved. He had refused to allow her destruction at his adversary's hand and he was firm in that resolve.

So how… how had he moved?

The answer was simple.

He hadn't.

The Eden-Liner was the most powerful chrono-liner not just for its destructive capabilities. No, what made it so dangerous a weapon, such an incredibly strong adversary, was best described in a few short words.

The Eden-Liner… was alive.

Now do not begin to think it as being alive by artificial means. No matter the intelligence behind it artificial is still a key-word in that equation. No, the Eden-Liner was alive in all sense of the word for it possessed something powerful, something that not even the legendary Crystals of Order and Chaos could create. It possessed a true and living soul and it was that very soul that had saved Griever's life in sacrifice for its own.

"Why… Why did you do it…" Griever whispered, his head bowed over the human face. "Megami…" The woman's eyes opened slowly and her mouth stretched into a small smile of affection before it fell to dust in the Black Chrono Rider's hands. Griever stared as the dust fell to the unforgiving ground before his hands clenched into tight fists, his shoulders trembling with repressed sobs. A deep rumble grew into a furious roar of rage that shook the earth as black feathered wings burst from Griever's back in a shower of blood. He turned glimmering red eyes to the silent Guardian Force GF.

"You… Do you have any idea of what you've done?!" he screamed, charging forward and meeting armored fists with his deadly swords. "Even if it means my own destruction, I'll see you dead for this, murderer!"

**_"Murderer…?"_** whispered Guardian Force GF, jumping back from Griever's rage-driven assault. **_"Isn't that calling the pot calling the kettle black, Griever? You who would kill countless lives for your own selfish desires?"_**

"Wanting my life back might be selfish…" growled Griever, black lightning twisting around his Grimm Sabers like snakes. "But for my wife… I would have destroyed the entire galaxy if it meant bringing her back… but it doesn't matter…" He raised the swords and pointed them at Guardian Force GF. "You killed her and for that, I'll see you and yours dead, Guardian Force!"

**_"She was… We…"_** Guardian Force GF shook his head as his thoughts became divided.

_"Baka-teme, we don't have time for a guilt trip!"_ growled Ifrit, though his usual gruff tone was absent.

_"We mussst finish thisss battle here before we lose our ssstrength,"_ agreed Leviathan, his voice sounding like falling rain.

_"The death of one, unintended, is still a loss but it will be mourned in its own time or not at all,"_ rumbled Behemoth, his deep voice echoing.

_"She'll be remembered, forever and a day… but who would care if we fall here, chu?"_ whispered Carbuncle, sounding far more mature than usual.

Hiro was silent for what seemed like eternity. _"… Finish him."_

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"Yes! Yes! YES! This is what being alive is all about!" screamed Diablos, enduring more Pain-ridden bullets from Aeon AF's Anima.

"You're mad," whispered Aeon AF, firing more bullets at the Devil Imagin only for the slippery monster to vanish in a swarm of bats. "Nothing but a rabid beast that needs to be put down."

The bats formed once more into the grinning Diablos, fully healed once again. "And you think you're the woman for the job? Please, spare me your idiotic tripe. You're powerful, yes, but nothing compared to Her, no."

Aeon AF froze, her grip on the Anima tightening. "Her… you couldn't mean…"

Diablos cackled, clapping with glee. "Ah, she gets it, yes she does! Little Rider, little girl, do you realize it now, the game being played around you? You're nothing but a small piece on the board, yes."

"I'm no one's toy," growled Aeon AF.

"So you say, yes so you say." Diablos bobbed his head, his devil's grin widening on his black face. "But you've played right into Her trap all the same little girl, yes you did. It was never about Eden or that pretender over there, no it wasn't. There's one more play left, best be ready little girl, the end game is drawing near." He burst into a swarm of bats with his maddening laughter and disappeared into a swirling vortex amidst a disappearing sky. Aeon AF's grip remained firm on her magun, her eyes tracking the swirling vortex as it disappeared from sight.

She fell to her knees as her armor shattered like glass on the wind, revealing a sweating Abigail who was gasping for air.

_"Abigail!"_

The girl winced. _"Stop acting like a mother hen, Shiva! I'm fine…"_

_"Either way, you best come back to the Proto-Liner and leave Griever to Guardian Force. Takuya is having… problems… with our guests."_

Abigail frowned to herself. _"… Takuya? Who is this… Takuya…?"_

_"Oh Abigail…"_

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"FULL CHARGE."

One by one, the crystals adorning the Disc-Arm lit up with ethereal light until they were like stars shining on a sea of jade. Fire burned from red to blue to burning white on the Fist-Arm, burning the air and melting the ground around Guardian Force GF. On the opposing Rod-Arm, water condensed and twisted like angry vipers with fangs of ice glimmering in the light. Stone and refined metal flew in tight circles around the Hammer-Arm at speeds that could rival the meteors that fell from the heavens.

Griever responded in kind, his rage and despair serving as the fuel for his own Full Charge. Dark energy flew like lightning in and around the Grimm Sabers, giving them an unholy glow in the strengthening light of the sun. Around them, the landscape was returning to what it once was as the Eden-Liner's destruction turned back upon itself, healing what was destroyed and restoring everything that was affected by the Eden-Liner's mere existence.

Everything.

The two Riders, one of a forgotten and regained past and the other an unseen future, stood facing each other knowing that this would be the finishing strike. Only one of them would walk away from this battle, not unscathed but alive at least.

"So be it…" whispered Griever. "_NOBODY'S SCREAM!_" He charged forward, his body alight with energy that condensed into ultrasonic waves that vaporized everything in their range.

**_"All For One!"_** Guardian Force GF charged forward, bringing all four of his arms down together, cupping his hands and forcing the opposing energies into a spiraling sphere of pure elemental power all enhanced further by the magic of the Rainbow Crystals.

The two attacks met head-on and the Riders vanished from sight amidst the epicenter of the powerful explosion.

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_"I'm telling you, it's going to be a girl."_

_"And I'm in disagreement. I know he is a boy."_

_"Fine, fine. If I'm right though, we get to call her Megami."_

_"We are not naming any daughter of ours after me, Jimetsu."_

_"So you agree that I'm right then about us having a girl. Ow!"_

_"Now, seeing as we're having a boy… how about… Hiroyuki?"_

_"Hiroyuki? … Yeah… that's a good name."_

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Hiro was barely standing on his feet, his hands still held out for his last attack. He was panting for breath and barely had the strength to remain standing. Behind him stood Chronos, none the worse for wear though the bandages had started to come undone around his face.

"Boy… Just who are you…?" whispered Chronos as he turned to face Hiro, the wind playing with the bandages on his face.

The young boy turned slowly to face the older man, though the motions brought further aches and pains to him. "Kaneda… Hiroyuki…"

Chronos' eyes widened and the wind pulled free the bandages, revealing his true face to Hiro, whose own eyes widened with shock. The skin was dark, tanned from constant exposure to the sun, and the eyes were like garnets but… it was like a dark reflection to a possible future.

Chronos' shoulders sagged and he looked as though the entire universe had turned against him. "And so… the Hero of Time shall slay his parents… and issue in the new reign…" Bitter tears fell from his eyes. "Damn it."

"Chronos, what—" Hiro spoke.

"Jimetsu," interrupted the man. "My name is Jimetsu… remember it for me…" He smiled sadly as sand began to fall from his body. He looked upwards toward the expanding heavens. "At least… we got to see him… one last time… eh, Megumi?" A small gust of wind blew the sand that was once a man named Jimetsu to the sky, wiped away from all existence to follow in the destruction of the Eden-Liner and the end of his beloved.

Hiro stood motionless, eyes on the horizon until he felt a familiar hand grip his shoulder. "What's with the tears, Hiro? We won didn't we?" whispered Tifa, concerned for her friend.

"Tears" repeated Hiro, putting a hand to his face and feeling the wetness of freshly falling tears. "Huh, why… can't I stop crying…"

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April 6, 1999

"Are you sure you don't want to come back to the future… present… whatever, with us Bahamut-sama?"

Bahamut turned, looking over his bandaged shoulder and smiled at Hiro. "My strongest memory is here, Hiro. If I were to go "back to the future" as you say I would slowly cease to exist. Besides, this is where a new dawn will begin, yes? A new century and a new millennium…"

"I suppose so…" muttered Hiro, his eyes drifting over to the nearby baseball field, currently empty. "Um… Bahamut-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Did… something happen with Takuya-sempai and Abigail? They're both acting kind of… weird." This of course was a severe understatement. Abigail was all but ignoring Takuya's existence as though she had no recollection of him at all while Takuya kept silent, his eyes glaring out the window of the Eido-Liner as they travelled here. The Ima-tachi were all still resting from the ordeal and were completely exhausted. According to Abigail, they'd wake up in a few days but until then, he was banned from transforming into Guardian Force lest he suffer from similar results.

Bahamut knew more than what Hiro had been told but he could not speak of it for fear of the repercussions. "I'm sure it is nothing to concern yourself over."

"I hope so, I don't want them—"

"Hurry up, Hiro-kun!" A young girl's voice called.

"Huh?" Hiro's eyes turned and saw a young girl no older than himself dressed in a strangely familiar junior high school uniform racing towards the baseball field. Her hair was cut rather short, almost boyishly so, and she seemed as though she would leap from the ground at any given moment. There was something… something about the girl that tugged at Hiro's heartstrings but for the life of him he could not understand why. That is, until he saw her companion running not far behind her.

Himself.

"What—?!" Hiro had no more chance for words for Bahamut had all but tossed him back into the Eido-Liner. The chrono-liner let out a loud whistle and speeded off towards the future even as Hiro screamed for it to stop. Bahamut watched it disappear from sight and sighed, sagging to the ground from exhaustion, the shadows of the afternoon sun hiding him from sight.

"And so we draw near to the climax…"

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The Present

Despite what most students of Heatherfield Institute would tell you, those that actually knew Hiro really well, and by that logic knew of the Imagin he was contracted with, knew him to be an overall nice boy. He was never one to get angry or sad about something and always thought things through with a logical mind though he did get easily stressed out over certain situations. Of course, those situations tended to be life-or-death so it was perfectly understandable for him to act in such a fashion.

To Yuffie-chan, he was rather sweet and kind of shy. He never said no to a cup of her special coffee, even when he found out the "truth" behind how she made it. Tifa thought him to be rather wishy-washy at first but after a time she came to realize how courageous and courteous he really was every time he donned the armor of Guardian Force. Takuya had called him his student not by choice but couldn't help but admit the younger boy had guts. He could still take him down easily but the Yashima's respect, how little of it there was, was still there.

Ifrit called him names at any given opportunity and especially favored "Baka-teme" the most only because the words had become a form of harsh endearment to the Hellhound Imagin. Though he'd rather die than admit it openly, Ifrit cared about Hiro like he was his own cub and would gladly face hell itself for him. Well, that and the chance to kick ass but that was Ifrit for you… Leviathan saw Hiro as an opportunity both to preserve his own existence and the chance to flirt with every girl that came his way. Though he was a liar by nature, Leviathan did speak an occasional truth and had admitted more than once that he thought of Hiro as being too kind for his own good.

The best example of this came from Behemoth who, unlike Ifrit and Leviathan, did not choose Hiro first as his contract holder. No, unlike them, Hiro had asked Behemoth to join them, to become a part of their team. Behemoth agreed that Hiro was kind but argued that his kindness was his strength despite his lack of muscular prowess. Carbuncle saw the boy as the older brother he never asked for but was happy to have, especially as Hiro had as much a sweet-tooth as the Mini Imagin did. Though the young Imagin had been tricked into becoming his partner, to Carbuncle, Hiro could do no wrong and he trusted him more than anyone else.

So with these thoughts in mind, it is not impossible to imagine their surprise at Hiro's current emotional state. To strangers, they'd say he was mad about something. To friends, he seemed really angry and were all afraid to where this anger would lead. To those who truly knew him, he was downright furious and rightly so.

After a long night of introspection, Hiro came to a stunning revelation about himself. Though he had memory born from education and knowledge, he had no true recollection of his life before moving to Heatherfield as an exchange student. Oh sure, he remembered places in Japan that he was sure he lived near or knew well but there were no faces, no friends or family that he could recall. It was as though the memories were taken from him and, as far as he knew, only Abigail's armor could do such a thing and even then only under the direst of circumstances.

So with nothing else to go on, he confronted the Conductor about it. The argument was loud and severely one-sided, but the Conductor gave no quarter to Hiro until he had the gall to actually throw his cup of tea at the wall. Tifa didn't try and defend the Conductor nor did she for Hiro both as he was forcibly removed from the Eido-Liner and barred entry until he "cooled his hotheaded temper". If he could get no answers from the Conductor, there was only one thing left that Hiro could do. He would have to return back to whence he came.

Home.

Unfortunately, he was left with few options on how to get there. He couldn't use the Eido-Liner without a ticket and Abigail worked for the Conductor as far as he knew. Hiro tried to find Takuya and ask him for a lift since the Kamen Rider had to have some way from going back and forth between Heatherfield and Juuban so quickly and easily. Sadly, Takuya was nowhere to be found and Hiro had no way of contacting him or the other Riders.

_"Baka-teme._"

Hiro grunted and glanced at the window of the Chinese restaurant he was standing next to. He had been walking in circles around Heatherfield for some time, trying to come up with a plan of action. "_Yes, what is it Ifrit?_"

"_You that dead-set on going back?_"

Hiro's eyes narrowed and he spoke aloud in an angry whisper. "I have to."

"_Do you?_" came Leviathan's voice. "_After all, "ignorance isss blisss" correct?_"

"This is different. The people I left behind…"

"_May no longer remember you just as you don't remember them,_" said Behemoth, "_and still you want to risk the safety of the people in this city by going on what may be a wild goose chase, Youngling?_"

"They won't be in danger. The Imagin are after me right? If nothing else, it'd be better to make them chase me to Japan. At least there I can have allies to call upon."

"_Aren't we your allies too, chu?_" asked Carbuncle. "_'Sides, I know they know it too._"

Hiro blinked and slowly walked down the back allies. "It? What are you talking about, Carbuncle?"

"_I… can't tell you, chu._"

Hiro's eyes widened in rage. "Then you're with the Conductor on this too! You know why I can't remember anything from my past! Who that girl is and why I haven't aged since then!"

"_Waah!_" cried Carbuncle. "_It's not my fault, chu! I just know things 'fore they 'appen! I'm not suppos'd to tell anyone 'til they do!_"

"Why?! Who told you this?!"

"_The Gaian King!_"

Hiro froze, feeling like ice gripping his spine in a painful vice. "The Gaian… King…" A flash of memory, a great beast of scales and fangs towering over him with eyes wise from age and experience an aura of incredible power surrounding him, power that made marked him as king over his kind.

"_Hey, I know that guy!_" yelled Ifrit, causing Hiro to wince. "_But… I don't know from where…_"

"_He doesss look familiar…_" agreed Leviathan.

"_I concur; he is too strong to forget easily._" Behemoth stated.

"_That's him, that's him!_" Carbuncle cheered. "_How do you know him, 'iro?_"

"I… I don't know…" Hiro whispered. "I don't know anything of my past… but… the answers must be back in Japan!" A flash of crimson light and Hiro was no longer in control of his body. A leather jacket appeared over his body and his eyes became a blazing red to match the stripe that fell across the length of his ponytail.

"Well, if that's how ya really feel…" grinned Hiro-Red. A flash of sapphire and Hiro suddenly gained a pair of spectacles that did nothing to hide the charm of his shimmering blue eyes along with the stripe in his hair.

"Then I guess that means…" smiled Hiro-Blue. A flash of amethyst and the glasses vanished, replaced not by another object but sheer power and strength. Pale blue turned to shining violet and Hiro's hair became wild like the mane of a lion.

"That we'll have to tag-along…" murmured Hiro-Purple. A flash of jade and physical strength vanished, replaced by a power unseen thanks to the bandanna tied tightly around Hiro's forehead. His jade-like eyes shined with childlike innocence and he seemed younger than his actual years.

"Leave it to us, 'iro! We'll carry ya there! That's what friends are for right? I don't hear an answer!"

"_You guys…_" Hiro whispered, his eyes tearing up even outside his control over his body. A flash of red and Ifrit was in control once again.

"Ah, enough with the pansy crap, Baka-teme!" growled Hiro-Red. "Let's get this show on the damn road already!"

"_You do realize that we don't have a way to get there don't you Sempai?_" deadpanned Leviathan.

"On our own, yeah we don't." Hiro-Red nodded. "However, there's some old friends that owe us big time."

"_Old friends…?_" Hiro repeated.

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A bored sigh. "Welcome to the Lightspeed Deliveries, ya got junk to send, we deliver it in a half-hour or less. Just name the time and place."

"I'd like something delivered to Japan, punk. The Juuban district." A faint twitch of the forehead and dark blue eyes opened minutely beneath bleach blonde locks. Another challenging customer… god what he'd do to blind the guy senseless with a corona to the face…

Another sigh and he closed his eyes, feigning disinterest. "We don't do much around there I'll admit, too much to do with Riders and Scouts over there. All those kaijin and youma about, we can't guarantee the safety of your junk. How much you paying for a job like that?"

"Nothing dumbass, you're going to do this for free!" growled the customer. "Call it a Rider's favor!"

His eyes snapped open as he prepared to verbally assault the guy like no tomorrow when he finally saw for himself who he was speaking to. "Hiro?!"

The red faded from Hiro's eyes and hair as he bowed apologetically. "J.D.…"

"When—Why—How on earth did you find us?!"

A burst of crimson light and Ifrit assumed control once more. "The nose knows sun-lizard. Let's talk deals shall we?"

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_To Be Continued...

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_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

_It Ends as it Begins; The Deception Part Two  
_


	17. The Deception Part Two

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

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****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_It Ends as it Begins; The Deception Part Two_

The door to Lightspeed Deliveries was lock with an "Out to Lunch" sign hanging precariously on its small hook though the lunchtime hour had long since passed. The inside of the store was dark and devoid of any sign of life save for a faint light that fell past an obscured staircase that lead up to the apartments above that served as the home of what remained of the Patriot Squadron. The large living room that served as the go-between for their rooms was heavily occupied by two non-armored Riders.

J.D. couldn't find it in himself to look at Hiro, his eyes tracking errant wisps of dust floating in the air. "So…"

"It's… a long story…" said Hiro.

"Longer than the one explaining why you want to go back to Japan and decided to come to us for transportation than, I don't know, an airport?" retorted J.D.

"Touché…" muttered Hiro. Hiro explained his predicament, with the occasional bit of interruption from his Imagin, and once more asked if there was any way for the Patriots to get him to Japan as quickly as possible.

"Hold on… you want us, the Patriots, to help you, the rookie Rider, not only get to Japan but to sneak past the Daikaiju Squadron?" J.D. asked. He gave a harsh bark of laughter. "Hell, I'll do it for free! … Not that Nicole would let me take your money…" He grumbled under his breath.

"Ano… don't you guys… I dunno… work with them now?" asked Hiro. "I don't want you guys to fight each other again."

"We're on the same side yeah but we're not on the same team. We follow our own rules." J.D. grunted, crossing his arms.

"You both follow me and I follow Kusanagi, how does that make us a different team?"

"JESUS!" J.D. nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling to glare at a bemused Adam. "Will you stop doing that! Ya nearly gave me a heart-attack damn you!"

Adam ignored him and turned to Hiro. "Not to say this isn't a pleasant surprise but did I hear you correctly, Hiro? You want to go against Kusanagi and his team?"

Hiro quickly shook his head in denial. "Not against them! Just… there's something in Japan, something in Japan that holds all the answers and… I think Takuya-sempai knows what it is…"

"And if Takuya knows then so will the others." Adam agreed with a firm nod. "I've not heard anything from them about you, Hiro. Why do have such concerns?"

"… Do you know who the Conductor is? What my… job… is?" Hiro hesitantly asked.

"As much as Kusanagi has told me." Adam said.

"… My birthday is February 29th."

Adam and J.D. blinked in confusion at this sudden bit of information.

"Uh… that's nice and all, and I've got me a slum of baby jokes for ya, but what does that have to do with anything?" asked J.D.

Adam, however, was silent before he suddenly realized what Hiro was saying. "Impossible…"

"What? Adam, if he says he's a leap-year baby, I'm willing to believe him."

Adam lightly cuffed J.D. on the shoulder. "Idiot. Hiro's fourteen."

"So?"

"If he is leap-year born, he'd be—"

"Seventeen." Hiro answered tonelessly. "I should be seventeen years old." He chuckled though it was an empty sound. "Eighteen this coming February…"

J.D.'s mouth dropped open in a surprised gape before he snapped it shut. "But-But how? Why?"

"I don't know… All I know is that the answers to all my questions lie in Japan… with her…"

"Her?" repeated J.D. trying to find some humor in the sardonic atmosphere. "Old girlfriend?" Hiro blushed though he knew not why and that was answer enough for Jaydee who laughed, "Ha! Old boy's got spunk doesn't he?"

Adam shook his head, silently lamenting his job as "parole officer" to a pair of immature teenagers. Speaking of… The British youth rose to his feet with a grunt. "Tomorrow, in the morning, we shall see to your 'delivery' Hiro. In the mean time, I think you and Nicole have a few things to talk about."

Hiro felt the blood drain from his face and, quivering slightly, he looked behind him to see none-other than his once-upon-a-time best friend standing in the open doorway staring at him with no emotion on her face though her eyes spoke differently.

"Yeah… yeah we do…"

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Hiro sat uncomfortably at her desk, despite how unnaturally comfortable the chair for it was. Not that Nicole was any better as she sat on her bed, both refusing to meet the eyes of the other. Nicole wasn't a big fan of customs and cultural rules but even she had sense enough to know that inviting a guy into your room, particularly for a serious talk, was a big thing in Japan. She glanced at her dresser and cursed at the faint pink flush that adorned her face. Sparing a quick glance at Hiro, Nicole felt more than slightly pleased to see a similar reaction on his face though for the life of her she couldn't shake that damn lead feeling out of her stomach.

_"All I know is that the answers to all my questions lie in Japan… with her…"_

_"Her?" repeated J.D. trying to find some humor in the sardonic atmosphere. "Old girlfriend?"_

"Hiro—"

"Nico—"

Both paused and smiled at their instant interruption. Ever the gracious one, Hiro waved for Nicole to speak first.

"Huh, still the honorable Japanese stereotype, Hiro?" she laughed but the sound didn't quite reach her eyes. She left her gaze fall to the window where a pale blue sky was fading into hues of purples and red. "Huh… remember that little ditty you told me about? That thing about sailors?"

Hiro spared a glance out the same window. "Red at night, sailors' delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning."

"Yeah, that's the one." She sighed and leaned back to lie on her bed, her arms crossed beneath her head. "I guess that means you'll have good luck tomorrow."

"Nicole—"

"Did you ever work up the courage to read it? My letter?" Hiro blushed and looked at the floor with shame. So many things had been happening lately that he had forgotten about it truthfully… Nicole saw for herself and answered for him. "Meh, it wasn't important anyway."

"It wasn't…?"

"No, not really. You know who I am right?" she asked him, wondering how he would answer.

"You're my best friend Nico… no matter what." Hiro answered truthfully.

Nicole's smile was nostalgic, almost self-depreciating. "No matter what." She stood from her bed and stretched. "I'm going to go and get dinner started, alright? We can talk more later." She left before he had a chance to say anything, before he could see the tears in her eyes or the shards of her breaking heart.

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"I see… so that's what's going on…" Adam leaned back in his chair, his grip on his cell firm like a vice. "You surely can't believe this Kusanagi. This is extreme even for our line of work."

_"Tell me about it, but that's what Takuya told me and Shiisa himself confronted her about it."_

"Prophecies… are worthless delusions. Trying to stop them only adds to their strength." Adam argued.

_"Don't you think I know that? Something's wrong with all this but the fact remains. Under no circumstances are you to let Hiroyuki come back to Japan alone. Do you understand me?"_

"Perfectly." Adam closed his cell with an audible snap.

"Playing the devil's advocate again?" Adam's back straightened and he turned in his chair.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, Jaydee?"

The bleach blonde didn't rise to the bait. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you're not going to stab Hiro in the back like you did to Jason."

Adam's eyes flickered, his version of a wince, and he rose to his feet. "Jason would have torn the entire city apart to destroy Guardian Force and he nearly did worse to kill Eiji. You were given the choice to stand by him or walk away. Do not be presumptuous in thinking you are better than I, Jaydee."

J.D. looked away, not meeting Adam's coppery orbs. "I stand on my own two feet. No one else's. Besides, it is not my loyalty in question here is it?"

Adam sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Eiji's orders were to not let Hiro go to Japan alone."

"Exactly! So you do—Wait…" J.D. blinked and slowly replayed the words in his mind. "Alone? Meaning…"

Adam smirked and decided to op for an American phrase. "Pack your bags, Jaydee. We're going on a road trip."

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_The Next Evening…_

Jaydee was grinning from ear to ear as he stood proudly before his "baby". He pulled back the large canvas and proclaimed proudly to his audience, "This is the first of a long line of creations that will someday be used throughout the world and beyond it! This is the prototype aerospace plane, Ra MK I!"

Hiro stared at it in long silence. "… Ano…"

"What?"

"It's blue."

Jaydee ignored the snickering from Adam and clenched his fist tightly, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "There's a reason for its color but that ain't important right now! What matters is that this baby will take us from here to Japan in less than thirty minutes!"

"Thirty minutes?!" Hiro stared at the small jet-like plane in wonder. "Can it really go that fast?"

"It can indeed. She can—"

"We're wasting time and daylight," interrupted Adam. "We need to get to Japan while it's still early in the afternoon over there, Jaydee."

J.D. sagged and grumbled to himself, "Rotten British spoil-sport… Fine, get in and let's get going!"

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_Twenty-five minutes later…_

"I'm going to hurl!" groaned Hiro, looking very green.

"Hurl and I swear to god I'll eject you right here and now!" J.D. growled at the boy, keeping his eyes on the open sky in front of him.

"Are we there yet?" asked Nicole, bored out of her mind and eager to land.

"We're cutting several hours of flight time to thirty minutes here!" yelled J.D. "You should be thankful we—" Sirens started flaring within the cockpit. Surprised, J.D. looked down at the controls. "Oops"

"What is it?" asked Adam.

"Hiro… do you see a small button on the right arm of your seat? The blinking one?" asked Jaydee.

"Ano… yes," replied Hiro, his finger lightly touching it.

"Whatever you do, don't push—" FWOOSH! "it… Well, at least we got Hiro to Japan…" J.D. watched as Hiro vanished beneath the cloud line, a small smirk tugging at his lips. '_That's for breaking her heart all over again…_'

"Jaydee…" growled Adam, sounding very angry.

"What?" He glared over his shoulder to meet the smoldering glare of one Nicole Derich. "Oh… yeah that was totally by accident I swear…"

"If you don't land this plane right now," whispered Nicole, leaning forward to say the rest in J.D.'s ear. The boy's tan skin became a pastel white to crimson red and back to white.

"Roger that, rerouting all reserve power to the cloaking shield." He jerked at the controls, twisting the plane down and around. "Hold on to your butts, this is going to be a bumpy landing!"

_------------------------------------------------Eido-Liner-------------------------------------------------------_

Ifrit palmed his face and groaned. "Sonofabitch…" He looked over to Leviathan who was sitting up in his bed with pipe in hand and exhaling a cloud of steam as though there was nothing to be concerned over. "Yo, Snake-boy."

"Yessssss?" Leviathan sighed, taking another drag from his pipe.

"Go wake the brat; I'll wake up Ram-boy." Ifrit rose from his seat and walked over to a sleeping Behemoth. Grinning savagely, Ifrit pulled back a fist alight with fire and slammed it into Behemoth's nose. "Mprh!" Ifrit clamped his mouth shut lest he scream from the pain of nearly breaking his fist on the Beast Imagin's muzzle.

"Huh? Whatisit…?" Behemoth yawned and rose to his towering height as Leviathan, chuckling at Ifrit's misfortune, appeared on the scene with Carbuncle on his snake-like head. "Time to go already? I only just fell asleep too…"

"You were snoring for five hours!" growled Ifrit, waving his injured hand to try and relieve the pain. "Oh, forget it! Let's just hurry and go to Hiro."

"YE—" Carbuncle clamped his mouth shut, snickering at the shushing noises the other Imagin were making. "Yeah!" he whispered quietly, bouncing over to rest atop Ifrit's head, something he had never done before. "Let's do it to it, chu!"

Ifrit glared up at the Mini Imagin sitting atop his head but didn't bother with moving him. "Right. Let's go." He and Carbuncle vanished in a haze of crimson and jade before Leviathan and Behemoth followed them in shades of sapphire and amethyst respectively. The small crack in the door opened wide and Tifa stepped into the room, dressed for bed but obviously awake for some time.

'_They left… just like the Conductor said they would…_' she thought to herself. She looked behind her, wondering if the old man was already there behind her but he wasn't. Tifa knew she'd have to report this to him… her face firmed itself as her resolve hardened. She turned and walked briskly away, the door sliding shut behind her with a cold hiss.

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Hiro scowled with his arms crossed over his chest as he floated down towards the outskirts of the Old Tokyo districts. His chair had fallen to pieces in midair but the parachute had thankfully remained firmly attached to the remains of his seat harness.

'_I don't know how or why, but I'm sure J.D. planned this…_' thought Hiro. He glanced down and grimaced before landing roughly in a tree, dangling a good dozen feet above the ground. "Yeah…" Hiro sighed, switching to Japanese subconsciously. "He most certainly did…"

"Oh quit your bitching, ya stupid bastard." Hiro's eyes shot open and he stared down in surprise to see a fully-formed Ifrit standing beneath him with his usual shit-eating grin. "Get him down before he gets airsick, Ram-boy?"

Claws longer than Hiro's arms gripped him by the back of his shirt with careful precision and lowered him gently to the ground. Hiro whirled about, surprised to see every one of his Imagin standing around him in their full formed states.

"What? When?" stammered a stunned Hiro.

"I believe that leavessss who, why, and how." Leviathan chuckled, refilling his pipe with flavored water and taking a long drag. "Ahh… rassspberry…"

"We don't really know Youngling." Behemoth rumbled, towering over them though he was sitting on all fours. "Perhaps the energy of the Final Line has remained in us or it is an after-effect from Gilgamesh Form."

"Questions, questions, questions!" Carbuncle whined, climbing up Hiro's back to curl about his shoulders. His long ears tickled at Hiro's cheek. "Le's go look for some answers, chu!"

"Ya left this on the train." Ifrit tossed a bundle at Hiro's feet. The amber-eyed boy glanced down and was surprised to see his old backpack and rollerblades. Heck, even his lucky baseball bat was there, something he had lost back when…

"Ifrit… you kept my bat?" asked Hiro, annoyed and touched though annoyance was the winner.

"Well, I had to have some advantage over that damn flat-chested little witch." Ifrit grumbled. "Now get those skates on, we got to get moving."

"What?" Hiro blinked and looked uneasily at the four Imagin. "Um… I don't quite know how to say this."

"We look like youma we know." Behemoth nodded.

"Well, if youma were mostly male," said Leviathan, grinning with a pleased blush on his blue scales.

Ifrit shivered in disgust but otherwise ignored the Serpent Imagin. "We got a plan for that, don't worry. Just get your skates on and keep moving, no matter what, alright?"

Hiro suddenly felt the uncanny need to find a hole and die…

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"THIS IS NOT A PLAN!" screamed Hiro as another fireball blazed past him, fizzling out before it caused any actual harm or damage. Not that it mattered to the screaming populace that were all racing frantically away from the "maniacally dangerous youma".

"Wheee!" yelled Carbuncle, holding on tight to Hiro's head, his gem now a shining sapphire. Electricity sparked on his fur and Hiro felt another sudden burst of speed.

"Dodge you fucktard! Dodge!" screamed Ifrit with maniacal glee as he threw another fireball at Hiro. Beside him, Leviathan sighed in resignation but sent a spear of water after Hiro as well. Really the things he had to do… The ground rumbled and soon Behemoth was behind them, tromping about on all fours.

"Ah, I sssuppose now you have adequate ssspace to run, eh Behemoth?" said Leviathan with a knowing grin.

The Beast Imagin remained silent but inwardly grimaced. Being of a large body with the strength to match, he had to be more careful with how he moved than Ifrit and Leviathan did. Not that that helped any poor car that was double-parked and thus in his way.

"Are you ssssure this isss a good idea, Sempai?" Leviathan asked Ifrit. "What if we attract the attention of the Kamen Ridersss?"

"Then they'll be too busy dealing with us to deal with us to try and stop Hiro!" Ifrit turned to give Leviathan a deadpan look. "And it ain't like you're not wanting to see those Sailor Scouts either, pervy snake."

"Heh-heh… Guilty." Leviathan chuckled before suddenly jumping skyward and coiling about a lamppost. Lightning impacted the spot where he stood. Ifrit skidded to a halt just in time as water froze the asphalt before him into ice. Behemoth watched in amusement as a small chain made of hearts wrapped rather tightly around his forearms. As tightly as a baby's grip to him anyway. The three Imagin looked before them to see a familiar and not-so familiar group of heroes standing before them, with either weapons drawn or elemental magic at the ready.

"You have two minutes to explain to us just what the hell you three are doing…" growled Gojira, leveling his G-Force Cannon at Ifrit's head. "And ten seconds have just gone by."

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Hiro had been skating for a good twenty minutes, already having long since overtaken the panicked crowd and now traversing well on his own when he realized two things. One, he had long since lost Ifrit and the others, which likely meant that the Scouts and Riders had arrived and he had little time left in his search. Lastly, a familiar golden yellow motorcycle was right beside him with a very familiar face astride it.

"Tifa?!"

"Come with me!" yelled Tifa over the roar of the Chocobo's engine. "You won't find her before the Conductor stops you!"

"Oh?" Hiro raised an eyebrow, staring at the young girl with obvious suspicion. "And how do I know this isn't a trap to get me back to America through the Eido-Liner?"

"We're not going to the Eido-Liner, idiot!" Tifa jerked the handlebars of the motorcycle, braking loudly in front of Hiro, forcing him to a dead stop. "Now, are you going to come with me or are you going to waste whatever time you've got before the others catch up to you?"

Hiro was torn. He glanced back the way he came, to Tifa and the path ahead of her, until his eyes fell upon Carbuncle. Though he knew the Mini Imagin couldn't reveal all of what he knew, Hiro trusted his judgment. Most of the time…

Carbuncle was unnaturally grave, staring into Hiro's eyes to give his silent message. The sapphire that his gem had become melted back into shades of ruby, glistening with inner light. Hiro understood the message.

"Forgive me Tifa…" Hiro slowly skated forward, smiling apologetically.

Tifa huffed, her eyes closed as she leaned back on the Chocobo. "One of these days Hiro you're going t—AAH!" Cold hard steel became alive with warm golden feathers as machine became beast. The Chocobo, more alive in this form than his vehicle shape bucked wildly, tossing Tifa to the dirt. Hiro took the reins and pulled himself up onto the Chocobo's saddle before he turned and looked down at the shocked Tifa.

"But the only people I can trust are my Imagin!" Hiro pulled sharply on the reins and, with a sharp whistle, the Chocobo took off, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

Tifa stared after the vanishing Hiro before her fists clenched tightly and she punched the ground. "DAMN IT!"

"Now, whatever did that street do to you?" A flap of great wings and a familiar draconic monster landed beside Tifa.

"Bahamut!"

"Looks like I've caught up to the climax of the story." He said, his eyes trailing after Hiro, a sad frown on his face. "Come, we will follow."

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It had started first in the mid-day classes and by now in the middle of the afternoon everyone was abuzz and talking about it. The kaijin from America, those strange monsters so much like youma yet entirely different, were suddenly here in Japan and going on a rampage well-suited to their reputation as Imagin. Many recognized them for what they were but only she recognized them for who they are and what their being here meant. She had tried to leave as soon as she could but friends and faculty were there to stop her at every turn even if it was unwittingly.

"Did you hear, those Imagin things are fighting the Kamen Riders and the Sailor Scouts!"

"The Kamen Riders? Please, last I saw, they're just standing back and watching as the Sailor Scouts deal with those monsters!"

"Please, what could a bunch of girls in sailor suits do? … Well holy shit."

Everywhere she went there was conversation after conversation waiting to spring itself upon her. Finally making the last of her excuses, she tried to leave for home once more, but it was already too late. An avian's cry brought a halt to all conversations and turned eyes towards the heavens as a large shape clouded the sun in a mighty leap. The birdlike beast landed with all the grace of a cat but with the force of a full-fledged bull, raising dusts and bits of dirt and concrete into the air from the impact.

A lithe figure dropped down from the bird, coughing from the dust as the cloud of it dissipated on the wind. "Forgot how hard you landed, girl…"

She drew in a breath, her chest tight and her eyes wide. Despair was mounting in her. '_Please… please no…_'

The cloud of dust disappeared, revealing a fourteen year old boy dressed in American stylized clothes though he was as Japanese as them from his perfect dialect and appearance. His eyes opened to reveal shining amber as they gazed up on the school's sign.

"Kadokawa High?" His eyes started to drift to his steed. "Why did—" Dry, stunned amber met wet, despaired brown on a face of one three years his senior. In that moment where time itself seemed to stop, there was nothing but a large void occupied only by the two of them. One, a boy of fourteen years and dressed more for recreation's sake than anything else with black hair slicked back like a lion's mane with a short ponytail to add to the wildness of his hazel eyes. The other, a girl of seventeen years and dressed in the proper uniform for school that left quite a view of her long, shapely legs with plain brown hair cut in a boyish fashion that fit well with the dark brown of her eyes.

It took an instant with the speed of an eternity for him to speak her name and for resolve to break. "Makoto-chan…"

"Hiro…!" Makoto whispered before racing forward and leaping at Hiro, embracing him tightly as they collided into the dirt.

"Makoto, Makoto…" Hiro was crying though he didn't know why, at least not fully. "It's you isn't it Makoto?"

"Yes, yes it's me… oh I've missed you so much Hiro… so much…" Makoto pressed her face to Hiro's neck, her tears falling to his warm skin. As much as he wanted to stay like this for eternity's end, Hiro needed answers. More than that, he needed the truth.

"Makoto… you know… don't you?" he whispered gently into her ear. She nodded, tears still falling fresh.

"Everything…"

"… Will you tell me…?" Makoto was silent before she pushed herself back and kneeled in front of Hiro who had sat up with her.

"No. You will tell yourself." She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and whispered. "Hero of Time…" A vigil appeared on Hiro's forehead, appearing as a strange fusion between the letters 'P' and 'L'. The mark of time in its entire expanse, the greatest and most powerful of guardians, hailing from the dwarf planet, Pluto. He was Hiroyuki Kaneda, an ordinary transfer student that, under extreme circumstances, became a Kamen Rider. Now he was much more.

He was Hiroyuki Kaneda, nephew to the Guardian of Time, grandson to its Lord, Hero to its beginning and its end. His family name was a farce, it wasn't the real one. He was no longer Hiroyuki Kaneda.

He is…

"HIRO!" The amber-eyed youth looked skyward and saw a familiar pair diving down towards him. Amidst the terrified screams of the watching crowd of students, Bahamut landed lightly on his talons, watching in small amusement as they fled for their lives. If only they knew… Tifa pushed herself free from the Dragon Imagin's grip and stomped over to Hiro, preparing to give him a vicious tongue-lashing when she saw the vigil slowly fading out of sight on his forehead. "Hiro…? What?"

Hiro stared at her for a long moment, not speaking a word, just staring at her in silent wonder. He turned first to Carbuncle who was giggling in amusement atop the Chocobo's head before looking to Makoto. "She's…"

"Yes…"

"So… that's why…?"

"A part of it."

"Then…" He looked towards Bahamut. "The prophecy?"

The Dragon Imagin nodded sadly. "Already long begun with the destruction of the Eden-Liner and Griever."

"Mother… Father… oh god, what have I done…?" whispered Hiro, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

"What you've done is earn my thanks, little mortal." The group turned as one to who had suddenly spoken out of thin air. A figure appeared without any warning, dressed in form-fitting armor of a golden sheen and a head-dress more befitting royalty than battle.

Bahamut's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Lady Mitsuko?"

"Not exactly." The woman, Mitsuko, smiled but it was a cold thing, detached from any true form of emotion. "I'd have preferred to keep the ruse but really, why bother when one's plans have all come together so nicely?" She looked down towards Hiro and Makoto and beckoned for them to come to her. "Come with me, dear children and I will give you my thanks."

Hiro's eyes narrowed in obvious distrust. "I'm fine right here thank you all the same, Lady… Mitsuko was it?"

"Only in this shape," said Mitsuko, nodding regally, her eyes never leaving Hiro's. "Are you denying me the chance to reward my…" She trailed off, a faint movement drawing her attention for a micro-second too long. Her eyes fell on Tifa.

Mitsuko's smile widened and a deadly gleam came to her eyes.

"So _that's_ why…" She giggled. "Oh, you two have been naughty… a full grown daughter and not even out of high school yet!"

"What?" Was all Tifa had to say before Mitsuko's arm shot forward, stretching to impossible lengths and ensnaring the girl tightly like the coils of a snake. The limb was colored like a massive galactic storm, no clear sign of true human flesh until the arm met Mitsuko's still human body. Her smile spread wide, wider than humanly possible as madness lit itself like a sun in her eyes.

"I think my first order of business… will be a good old fashioned execution!" she cackled. The sky ruptured in a loud explosion that sent clouds vanishing into the horizon. A dark void appeared in the terrible rip in the sky and Mitsuko leapt into it, dragging a struggling Tifa with her.

"TIFA!" Hiro shot to his feet, the vigil on his brow returning with a vengeance. "_Time_—"

A tanned hand gripped his wrist tightly. "Don't. It would only aid in her escape."

Hiro turned to snarl at whoever stopped him from saving Tifa when he saw for himself. "Auntie?"

Setsuna Meioh smiled warmly and a dull ache faded away in her heart. "I didn't realize how much I missed hearing that… Little Prince." She leaned down and helped Makoto to her feet. "You are well, Makoto?"

"As well as I can be, under the circumstances." Makoto tried to smile but it just wouldn't come. "Will she—"

"No, not if we can stop her." Hiro said. He looked heavenward and saw the tear in the sky healing itself closed. "Auntie… can you—"

Setsuna was glancing at her pocket watch. "They shall be here momentarily, Hiro."

Hiro blinked and stared at the watch for a moment. "You? You were the one those Imagin have been after!"

"At first," Setsuna agreed. "Then they changed their target to you, when she realized it wasn't me stopping her."

"She? That Mitsuko woman?" asked Hiro.

"Wrong, chu!" Carbuncle leaped over and curled himself around Makoto's neck, pressing a wet nose to her cheek and smiling as she giggled from the tickling of his fur. "We call her the Golden King!"

"The Golden—" Hiro shook his head. "That doesn't make sense, she's a girl!"

"So?" asked Bahamut. "King is a title for the job, not the person holding it."

Setsuna smiled sardonically at the Dragon Imagin. "That would explain your poor relations with Queen Serenity, Your Highness."

"Please," said Bahamut, sighing tiredly. "It's just Bahamut now. The Gaians are extinct, let them rest in peace."

"Gaians…" Hiro's eyes widened and he pointed dumbly at Bahamut. "You… You…"

"Yes, yes," sighed Bahamut. Really, he wasn't exaggerating when he proclaimed himself king.

"You got tiny!" Somewhere in the Dragon Imagin's mind, something called cynicism returned. Oh how he missed it.

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Eiji stood silently besides a sitting Hiro as the two watched as Setsuna and Midoriko prepare the teleportation arrays with an occasional quip of suggestion from a frowning Naraku. Ifrit and Behemoth were helping with the construction while Morisato and Jaydee went over the technical details, what little of them there were in the magical application they were constructing. The girls were gossiping quietly with Makoto, if what Eiji felt through his empathy was true, and the rest of the Riders were busy preparing themselves for what was to come. Hostilities between the Daikaiju and Patriots had been high, made higher by their recent incursion with one another but, for now, peace was kept through a shared mission that required all of their cooperation.

Still, that didn't stop the nervous glare that Nicole kept shooting at the silent Hudson, who stared at her with his shark like eyes whenever her own were drawn towards him. The same nervousness could be seen in Jaydee as well but the boy hid it better than his younger compatriot. Hotaru was sticking close to Hudson, her arms wrapped around his smaller frame in a tight hug that he leaned into gratefully, occasionally giving her whispered assurances.

Adam stood with Kushinada, speaking in soft tones as her brothers hovered protectively nearby though Eiji felt more than saw their attentions draw back towards Tokyo proper where their own hearts laid unknowing of the approaching danger. Haruka and Michiru were hovering protectively near Hudson and Hotaru, standing as silent sentries for their "children". Takuya was standing apart from them all, his eyes never going anywhere near the Imagin or Hiro. After this was over, he'd try and talk to him but Eiji had more important matters to deal with now.

His burning eyes fell towards Makoto. "So… That was your sacrifice."

Hiro glanced up and saw where Eiji was looking. "Yes…"

"… Was it worth it?" Eiji asked, not knowing why. "Giving up your future, your love, the life you could have had?"

"No… no it wasn't… I don't think it ever will be…" Hiro whispered. He looked towards the array that was slowly entering completion. "Will we make it?"

Eiji followed his gaze. "It'd be better if your grandfather got down from his high horse and helped." He snarled.

Hiro sighed but didn't disagree with the older boy. For whatever reason, the Eido-Liner would not come to his call, even as Guardian Force it refused to be summoned. As for Aeon… Eiji hadn't been able to contact Abigail at all, some trick of Mitsuko's no doubt.

"But… if what Bahamut says is true… and Setsuna agrees with him… then yes, we have enough time to stop her."

"I hope so…" whispered Hiro, looking towards the heavens. '_Just hold on Tifa… daddy's coming…_'

* * *

_To Be Continued...

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_

**Next time… on Kamen Rider Guardian Force: RoC**

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you expecting something of a spoiler here? Well, I so hate to disappoint but forget it! The time has come to return to what it should be! Soon, my reign shall begin and the universe itself will fall to Chaos!"

_Reign of Chaos; The Battle of Cosmos_


	18. Reign of Chaos

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

**

* * *

****Kamen Rider Guardian Force: Reign of Chaos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

_Reign of Chaos; The Battle of Cosmos_

Eiji stood in front of the teleportation array, using a discarded piece of timber log as a footstool so that his eyes fell over the entire large group. The group, though divided as they were by abilities and prowess, now stood as one, next to those none thought they'd ever stand with. At the forebear stood Hiro, the young up and coming Kamen Rider that had started this whole affair from the beginning. Standing protectively around him were his Imagin, monsters from a forgotten future seeking a life of their own in the current time. They were not what they were before, in the time of the Silver Millennium but Eiji could see inflections of their past selves in their eyes.

Ifrit, a war general whose belief was to fight first and ask questions later. Leviathan, master tactician and lord of the oceans who was blessed with a silver-tongue. Behemoth, caretaker to the great Tree of Life whose strength was matched only by the greatest of mountains. Carbuncle, the youngest being, Terran or Gaian, to earn the title of mage and given the great responsibility of watching over the Rainbow Crystals. Bahamut, the Gaian King reborn on an admittedly smaller scale whose sheer power was equal only to Serena's mother and Monarch of the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity.

Eiji and the rest of the Daikaiju Squadron of Kamen Riders had been told of the Silver Millennium's fall and of Queen Serenity's great sacrifice in ensuring the lives of her daughter, her people and the people of Earth, survived in the far future. The light of Order, the shining Silver Imperium Crystal, guided them to that future, the current present. However, the Gaians were of another matter entirely. Terrans were by their very nature creatures of Order though few would argue otherwise. The random bit of oddity in their breed that desired the madness of chaos was always an enemy to them, something to wipe out of their shared existence.

It was no wonder this feeling was shared with the Gaians of Earth.

The Gaians were born and lived under the light of Chaos, the brilliant Golden Crystal and though they followed order, it was an order of their own design befitting the vast variety of their people's form and ideas. The Gaians, like their home planet, were not limited in any one way and were divided amongst themselves in a variety of ways and yet were able to come together to form a unity that took what earned the Silver Millennium its name in a single year. They stood united with one another against a common enemy, the Terrans, a race similar in shape, divided in power, and holding no one world to call their own.

Though none could deny where the Gaians hailed, there was not one that could pinpoint the exact home world of the Terrans, or even if they had one world to their own to begin with. The war on earth never came; the Gaians and Terrans of that beautifully chaotic world grew up sharing it with the other and saw the concept of separation between them as strange, unimaginable. To the rest of the worlds…

That war was one outmatched only by the assault from the Negaverse and lasted only marginally longer. It took only a few battles for the Gaians and Space Terrans to realize how utterly futile and worthless such a war would end up being. Over a million lives lost on both sides in a single battle with no victor and the near destruction of Eris was all the incentive they needed to at least agree to disagree. As it was, the planet of Eris became an inhospitable world, and whatever few managed to escape the devastation was lost to the sands of time. Earth remained separate from the kingdom of the Silver Millennium and would have remained so had not the tell-tale affair of love and death started with the heirs apparent, Prince Endymion of Earth and Princess Serenity of the Moon.

Queen Serenity had meant for the Gaians salvation but had delivered them the ultimate damnation. Their souls were transported to a future that didn't exist, forcing them into the Sands of Time just to exist as Imagin, creatures "born" from the imagination of whatever human soul they made a contract with. The Imagin did not know what they once were, just like the Scouts had forgotten so too did the Gaians, but they knew perhaps subconsciously or instinctually, they needed to go back to the past, to the exact date of the Silver Millennium's end. None could ever make that journey on their own so they allied with someone with greater power and longevity than Sailor Pluto.

As a princess and first heir to the throne of Pluto, Setsuna was granted great measure of power of time and its flow, her greatest lying in the transportation and sight of the far future and the current present, but this paled in comparison to her father, the Hadesian King of Pluto, the true Lord Chronos. Setsuna knew him simply as father while Hiro and his Imagin knew him better as the Conductor of the Eido-Liner. Neither of them would have been good options to the Imagin, for they feared their destruction from the hands of the Hadesian Royalty or worse, return to the near endless sea of time. So what of those that knew not the truth of their very selves allied with the only one with as great a control over time as Sailor Pluto whose power could rival, nay even topple, the Princess; Sailor Moon.

Mitsuko Himeko.

Sailor Galaxia.

Eiji should have seen it coming really. If there were Scouts whose powers stemmed from the planets, moons, and asteroids; would there not be one whose power was drawn from the entire galaxy? Truthfully, he expected a Sailor Earth, maybe even a Sailor Sun, before a Sailor Scout of the Milky Way Galaxy. His eyes fell upon Serena for a moment. Serena, better known as Sailor Moon, had power that matched her beloved and, separate, the two could defeat him if they fought without their usual restraint and in their true forms and using all of their magic. Together, the two could wipe the entire Solar System from existence and even then, that required a great amount of power drawn from their respected Crystals.

He shivered to think what Galaxia could do at the basic level of her power.

'_But no…_' he remembered, '_Galaxia's not really the problem here is she…?_' No, if what Bahamut said was true, and Setsuna supported the Dragon Imagin so there was little doubt of deception, Galaxia wasn't their enemy.

The one who was using her as a puppet, controlling her from the inside… She, he, whatever it was… that was their true enemy. Bahamut called her the Primordial Darkness, a creature from a time forgotten, born from the madness of the universe before its creation, a vile leftover of a time without the Balance of Order and Chaos. Setsuna and the moon cat duo Luna and Artemis knew her simply as what she represented herself as.

Chaos, pure and simple.

She had been both the cause and the bane of the Sailor Scouts since time began, their one true enemy. The Negaverse and its energy sucking youma? A playground filled with her pets, the top dog Metallia her personal favorite. The false prophet Wiseman and the Black Moon Family? A contingency plan should the Scouts ever rise to their former glory through what poor refugees that remained on the fallen planet of Eris. The parasitic Pharaoh 90 and its heart-stealing daimon? Children seemed to broad a term for it and its brood but it was the most fitting. Finally… there was Queen Nehelenia. There was no love lost from the Riders and Scouts when it came to that vile queen of the circus tent. Sick amusement was derived from her existence and that of her Dead Moon Circus.

How ironic it was that each and every one of the "big bads" represented a faction of sin. Queen Beryl as Lust, Wiseman as Sloth, Pharaoh 90 as Greed, Queen Nehelenia as Pride, Fiore as Envy, Princess Snow Kaguya as Wrath, and Lady Badiyanu as Gluttony. The Seven Deadly Sins of Man, all born from Chaos itself.

But Chaos had been destroyed long ago, in the first years of the Silver Millennium so how could she have been revived? Simple. Hiro had sought to reverse the destruction being caused by the Eden-Liner, thus saving both himself and all those who shared the date of his birth but it was Griever had said. The only true way to reverse the Eden-Liner's powers was to destroy it. Too bad that undoing one task undid them all and so Chaos was free to terrorize the universe once more. But there was one failsafe left, one that guaranteed the future of Crystal Tokyo.

Tifa.

The girl was from the future but her ties were far more close to home than Hiro had ever dreamed of. She was his daughter and child of the girl he had been friends with for what felt like forever. Like her father before her, Tifa was a Singularity Point and so could remember the altered futures they endured and could even exist if the paths to their existence were erased. However, there was one another piece of the puzzle that was Tifa.

Her mother.

By all rights, she was as human as they come. That is to say, she was by no means one of the many thousands upon thousands of Terrans that were slain at the End of the Silver Millennium. Still, despite this, Makoto Konno could do something no other human, particularly one from Earth, was supposed to do. She could literally leap through time. To be sure, the farthest she could go was three years but that was incredibly impressive for one so young and without any of the training most Hadesians had to go through on Pluto. With these traits combined with Hiro's own, Tifa was born with powerful potential, potential that could very well guarantee the safety and security of Crystal Tokyo's existence.

Potential that Chaos wanted destroyed.

Fortunately time was on the side for once. Though she inhabited the body of the most powerful of Sailor Scouts, Chaos' own powers hadn't reached their maximum. The process itself involved a lot of time and metaphysical physics that were quite frankly, too high and above Eiji's head to make sense of. To put it in basic terms, Chaos' full power from the past hadn't yet reached her here in the current future.

It was up to them to make sure that never happened.

Eiji looked them over as whole, as not one person but a group united by a common goal. "Alright everyone listen up!" he called over the hushed whisperings of the twilight until all was silent and every pair of eyes was on him. "This is by far the biggest threat any one of us has ever faced, bigger than anything we could ever imagine. I won't repeat what we've already been told but I will drive the point home. This being, this Chaos, is the living embodiment of her name and where she calls home is likely the same.

"Some of you have fought beside me from the very beginning. Some of you fought for the same goal as I, though we were divided by home and country. Some of you fought for a peace I thought impossible. Some of you… gave up everything for a future that you might never see. Today, here and now, we are about to fight once more against something beyond the comprehension of our nightmares. Tonight, we go to the gates of Hell and break them down, to take on the worst demon of them all." Eiji's gaze fell more towards his fellow Riders as he spoke.

"We thought we knew pain, we thought ourselves acquainted with death, but we were wrong. Our world was destroyed, and several billion people died. The one responsible tried to do the same here and in the end, faced justice for his crimes though it was not by our hands. Chaos did nothing of the sort. Whole worlds, entire galaxies, the lives of countless people, all extinguished for her hatred, her loathing of the universe and the Balance it holds so dear. In this battle… there are no guarantees that any one of us will survive. Before, with Kulutues, there was no choice in facing him. This time is different. This time, I'm giving you the choice. Should any one of you wish to stay out of this you need only to say so."

Silence.

Eiji smiled but it was a grim one, and his shoulders only seemed to sag with the weight of his responsibilities. "Then I guess all that is left is one thing…" His hand gripped his K-Zector. "Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

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Sailor Moon stood beside Tuxedo Mask, blushing faintly at the looks the Patriots were giving her and her masked prince. "I think I'm beginning to see what Eiji meant by how badly our fuku act as body armor…"

"I can't say that I'm complaining." Sailor Moon's eyes snapped up to see Tuxedo Mask's own looking down upon her with a pleased smile and equally pleased blush on his face. Sailor Moon's face went redder than a tomato in under two-thirds of a second.

"Enough with the lovey-dovey crap!" growled Rodan, pushing his way into the center of the teleportation array.

"Right," nodded Mosura. "Non-Scouts in the center please. Girls, you know what to do."

The Riders moved to stand in as much of the center of the array as they could. By choice, Gojira stood next to Guardian Force who was in his cloaked Gilgamesh Form. Gojira could feel the power that Guardian Force was containing coming off the smaller boy in waves.

"How long can you hold that form?" he questioned the younger Rider.

**_"We do not know…"_** answered Guardian Force GF. **_"We've only used it once before."_**

"And how well did that end?"

**_"… Badly."_**

"Great…"

Meanwhile, the Sailor Scouts were standing in a large circle around the group with their hands clasped tightly to form a ring around the teleportation array. Slowly, power began to build within the Scouts until, one by one; their tiaras vanished as the burning light of their planetary powers shined upon their brows. Mosura and Battra looked to each other and nodded, bowing down their heads and bringing their hands together. The glyphs of the array flickered before bursting with equal intensity to the planetary vigils of the Sailor Scouts as faint unseen threads weaved out and interconnected the two separate groups as one whole.

"SAILOR TELEPORT!"

The vanished into a star that took off into the heavens faster than the eye could follow. Below, alone save for the company of a talking pair of cats, Makoto watched the faint trail of energy vanish into the night, her prayers and her heart with them even as tears fell from her eyes for she knew the truth of their actions.

None of them would come back alive.

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In a world outside of a world, where nothing but darkness was prevalent and light only seen by those capable of making it, there sat a being with eyes of awash in a sea of horrible madness. Eyes that narrowed in anger as hands nearly crushed the life of her unconscious prisoner. She was human in shape but she could no longer be called as such. Her form was a frenzied sea of colors and textures, never staying in any one set for longer than a moment's time. She stood at twice the size of a normal man but her power… the power she had devoured into herself…

It was beyond what this dark void could contain should she unleash it all.

Beneath her stood an object plain in design and appearance but serving a purpose more grand than anything before or after it. Ally and enemy both to the Crystals of Order and Chaos, this seemingly plain cooker's pot was something greater yet weaker than them. Where the Silver Crystal gave Order and the Gold Crystal gave Chaos, this Cauldron gave neither and both.

It offered Choice.

It offered Creation.

It was the Star Cauldron, the very maker of the planets, the suns, the very life's blood of the entire universe. Without it, no knew star or planet could be born and so the universe would slowly die, descending back to the chaotic nothing from whence it came.

Just as Chaos wanted.

However… Her clawed hands touched upon the Cauldron, barely grazing its dark surface before angry sparks met her hands, driving her back from it. She hissed more in agitation than pain. She could not touch it! Not without—She turned suddenly, surprised then grinning with childish glee. She felt two familiar pools of power rocketing towards her, aided by the eight planetary powers of the Solar System, carrying with them they who had no business in this world or time.

She stood back and regarded them as they came barreling towards her. She dropped Tifa from her hands, ignoring the unconscious teenage girl as she floated lifelessly in the void. Chaos would first have to deal with her wanted guests before she went on to other matters. She heard them cry their unified attack, watching in small bemusement as they came barreling upon her as the Sailor Scouts pushed the brunt of their united power to the fore of their globe, punching straight through her torso with a scream of "Planet Power!"

Chaos didn't so much as fall.

She turned and faced them; the wound gone like it had never landed upon her. She attacked them like a cat would a mouse though she gave them the benefit of growing used to the strange gravitational forces of the Universal Center. Their attacks caused her pain and her amusement began to wane. She did not speak for she had long grown tired of the Terran shape she had assumed. She melted away into her true self and came at them in full force. Too surprised to react, many fell to her first assault though she hadn't outright killed them. No, the first to fall were the two key pieces to their assault. Without them, what little hope they had in defeating her ended in their destruction.

Tuxedo Mask's last sight of his beloved was her heart being pierced, the bloodied Silver Imperium Crystal held tightly in blood-soaked hands. Grief soaked rage threw whatever sense he had and Tuxedo Mask fell away to Prince Endymion but the knight hadn't chance to draw the Sword before he fell in the same manner as his beloved Sailor Moon.

That was all that was needed for the rest of them to lead a frenzied rush upon her. Fire, water, thunder, the very elements themselves came down upon her with epic force but it was already too late.

Chaos had absorbed the Silver and Golden Crystals into herself, just as she had done with Sailor Galaxia. Now, there was no one capable of standing in her way. Disorganized as they were, it took some time, and surprisingly a good amount of effort for Chaos to kill many of their numbers. She had delighted in the acts, ending the lives of loved ones so that their lovers would fall like lambs to the slaughter. However, there was a small number that refused to fall to her immeasurable power.

No matter, it was of little consequence anyway for she had already killed Tifa, somewhere in that chaotic mess of a battle. All that was left was to take the Cauldron. A sound of an ocarina's song rang in the blackness, a time vortex opening high above them. Chaos sensed more than saw the renewed hope in the fighters still living and she grinned. A small gesture of her hand and all that came from the swirling vortex was an explosion of fire and smoking debris.

She turned, grinning madly and her eyes swirling with a vortex of chaos. She reached down and grasped the Star Cauldron, swelling in size until it was but a teacup in her hands. Her gaze fell upon the mortals below her, amused even as they fought against her. The Star Cauldron shattered in her hands like glass.

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_Earth_

The sky turned black though the sun was still seen high above. The earth shook as water shoot towards the heavens in steaming geysers before the planet's lifeblood burst forth from the hardened crust. Whole continents trembled and broke themselves apart as entire cities crumbled. Fire fell like rain from the heavens as shards of ice pierced the ground. The face of the planet was changing, taking a shape like a skull of some prehistoric beast. What were once seven whole continents shifted to four distinct landmasses though most were intimately connected. Above the planet, unseen by those below, the moon was pushed aside as a monolithic figure gazed down upon the planet. Chaotic energy danced in her hands before the life that was lost became reborn in her imagings.

"Let the reign of Chaos… begin!"

* * *

THE END

_

* * *

_


	19. Glossary

Me: Like Daikaiju before it, here lies the glossary for Guardian Force. You don't have to read the story to read this though it is recommended.

Bahamut: What about the ending? You know, the shitastically bad one you just wrote? Got an explanation for that?

Me: Oh I certainly do... AT THE END OF THE GLOSSARY!

* * *

**A/N: Just an FYI...If it weren't already obvious, all Imagin are based of the monsters, summon or otherwise, of the Final Fantasy series though their characters in this work of fiction are entirely my own.  
**

**All the kaiju herein and have-been are all primarily based on the works of one G-samurai located on DA, otherwise known as The Neos Series. Check them out if you want more details on appearance and powers!  
**

**DISCLAIMERS: I own what's my own.  
**

* * *

**GLOSSARY**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

**IMAGIN**

To simple state that Imagins are beings from a destroyed future, while true, is not completely accurate. The future is limitless in its possibilities and any number of people could live or die so to say this about Imagins would indeed be false. No, the whole truth lies not in the future, but in the past. Imagin are, in fact, ancient creatures of legend having died out alongside the Silver Millenium and a failure on Queen Serenity's part in attempting to save them to live on in the future. Being born from the light of the Golden Crystal, the Silver Imperium's light turned from their hope to their doom. A unique trait among the Imagin include their inability to have a "form" until they gain both a contract holder and a wish to fulfill otherwise they're nothing more than glowing orbs of light or sandy-versions of their normal selves.

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**DEATHGIGAS**

A DeathGigas is a rare phenomenon that occurs in dying Imagin. If the Imagin is powerful enough or has enough energy gained from say, a travel to the past, the so-called monster is capable of turning into something truly deserving the name. A DeathGigas has no meaning of friend or foe, only a single objective to destroy anything and everything it sees and thus can be quite dangerous. Mostly, a DeathGigas will follow in its original form but it has been noted that all DeathGigas possess cybernetic components in their body, a rather strange trait considering Imagin are creatures of the past rather than the future.

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**CHRONO-RIDERS**

The three Chrono-Riders; Griever, Aeon, & Guardian Force, were all created to combat against the likely threat of Imagin from the future's past. All three Riders utilize the Chrono-Liners as massive transport/homebases to travel through the sands of time and thus enter the past, present, or future to neutralize whatever temporal threats occur therein.

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**CHRONO-LINERS**

A Chrono-Liner is, by simple definition, a time-traveling train. The capabilities of these trains are unique and separately defined by their own designs.

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**FULL CHARGE**

Contrary to what one might think, Full Charge is nothing like the Cast-On System the Kamen Riders Daikaiju/Patriots utilize though the effects are quite similar. Basically, Full Charge does exactly what it sounds, it gives the Chrono-Riders a maximum boost of power from both the armor and the Imagin in control. It can only be used three times by each Imagin in a twenty-four hour period.

* * *

CAST OF ESTABLISHED KAMEN RIDERS

(NOTE: All information herein pertains to BEFORE the battle with Chaos.)

* * *

**_GUARDIAN FORCE_**

The armor of Guardian Force is the last of the three Chrono-Riders created by the Time Lord Chronos. Likely the weakest in base form as it contains no actual weapons or powers to its own as it relies on the one thing that only Aeon was partial designed to utilize. As the saying goes, "Fight fire with fire". What better strength, or power, was there to use than the Imagin's own? Guardian Force reflects this to the tee, with each of his five forms based on the Imagin he has bonded with an Liner-Trains to go with them. Still, the question remains… if the armor was created so long ago… how then was the choice of form and function made?

--

**KNIGHT FORM**

This is the first form of Guardian Force, when Hiro is in control and without the help of his Imagin. Knight Form is seemingly composed of European style armor and it enhance Hiro's strength and reflexes two-fold, which puts him as the weakest of all Kamen Riders in this form. Strangely, this form possesses no actual weapons and is often considered, and spoken of, as a proto-form as it also has no named attacks.

--

**FIST FORM**

Only when Hiro's under the control of Ifrit does this armor appear. Colored crimson and shaped like a horned demononic dog from a burning pit in Hell, the Fist Form is one of the most common forms that G-Force undergoes. The armor itself is of the same toughness as Knight Form but possesses the unique ability to alter its temperature to a whopping, 350 degrees with ease. Water turns instantly to steam on contact with the armor and its, or perhaps Ifrit's, only known weakness is freezing temperatures and deep water as the armor prevents G-Force from swimming.

**WEAPON **

ALI SHAR

A pair of large, robotic gloves that end just at G-Force FF's elbows. The gloves are roughly three-times the size of a normal human hand and can deliver extremely powerful punches. It should be noted that the palms of the Ali Shar are capable of generating, and controlling, fire.

_ATTACKS_

_Fire Wolf Spike_ – G-Force FF delivers a series of punches or a barrage of fireballs, whatever Ifrit is in the mood for.

_Hell Fire _– Delivered in two varieties. One, a gigantic fireball made of hellish fire is thrown or, two, G-Force FF delivers a punch three times the strength of a Rider Kick. A Full Charge required attack.

--

**ROD FORM**

Only when Hiro is under the control of Leviathan does this armor appear. Colored sapphire and shaped like a deep ocean serpent of legends old, the Rod Form is one of the more uncommon forms that G-Force undergoes as its specialty lies more in underwater combat. The armor can withstand deep sea pressure and, through Leviathan's possession, G-Force can breathe underwater. One unique trait of the armor is the ability to 'lock' G-Force's legs together to form a serpent's tail to allow faster movement in the water and land. The armor's only known weakness is extremely high temperatures and electricity.

**WEAPON **

SKADI

A fishing rodlike device that doubles as a harpoon of sorts. Where the hook would be is in fact, a harpoon tip that, with G-Force RF's control over the Skadi, can pierce steel while wrapping the object in question with great ease. The line is made of a unknown metal that, when asked, Leviathan responds, "It is made from those who thought to create their gods and instead made their demons."

_ATTACKS_

_Geyser of Power_ – G-Force RF does a flurry of whipstrikes and/or sends forth a whirlpool of near frozen water.

_Tsunami_– A gigantic tidal wave is created and dropped from several stories above G-Force RF's opponent(s). A Full Charge required attack.

--

**HAMMER FORM**

Only when Hiro is under the control of Behemoth does this armor appear. Colored amethyst and shaped like the very beast that shakes the earth from its tiniest movements, the Hammer Form is one of the most powerful forms in sheer physical prowess, outmatching Fist Form much to Ifrit's incredible ire. The armor can grant Guardian Force the power of a hulking beast at a cost of lower speed, but it's a price worth paying for one to be able to lift a two-story house over their head. Another thing to note is that the 'hair' on the back of the helmet are actually quills that can be shot forward like needles. The armor's only known weakness is its lack of speed and further inability to swim.

**WEAPON **

TARASQUE

Named after the unbeatable terror-beast, the warhammer Tarasque has no weakness of strength or mass. The warhammer is supposedly able to shatter a small mountain with great ease. The Tarasque may not appear to weigh more than its appearance says but only those that Behemoth accepts as "strong" can lift it, besides the Imagin hismelf. It appears to be made of the same materials as the Ali Shar and Skadi.

_ATTACKS_

_Fullmetal Slam_ – G-Force AF uses the Tarasque as a single downward or upward stroke.

_Meteor _– Heaving up great chunks of the earth, G-Force AF sends them shooting back down with the force of a crashing meteor. A Full Charge required attack.

--

**DISC FORM**

Only when Hiro is under the control of Carbuncle does this armor appear. Colored a vibrant shade of green and shaped like the bejeweled beast of the old magics, the Disc Form isn't as power as any of the previous forms but what it lacks in strength it makes up for in speed and special abilities granted to it. This abilities are different depending on the jewel located at the forehead of the helmet and each can only be activated for a limited amount of time. The armor's only true offensive strength, aside from the HueHue, are the claws which inject a paralysis poison that lasts for several hours, depending on the amount of slashes given, and is strong enough to keep a ticked-off Ifrit down. Since it realies entirely on speed and magic, the armor's main weakness is a direct hit or strong attacks

**WEAPON **

HUEHUE

The HueHue is a bladed chakram of a similar design to a infamous warrior princess' own, that shares the abilities granted to G-Force DF through the crystals of his armor. The HueHue has the ability to never miss that which it is aimed against, even if it has to ricochet itself a dozen times over to strike. Like the other weapons, the Huehue is made of a strange type of metal.

**THE RAINBOW CRYSTALS**

The Rainbow Crystals, not to be confused with the crystals that were the then divided Silver Imperium Crystal, are eight powerful gems that allow Carbuncle, and through him Guardian Force, great magical power. Of course, being so young neither Hiro nor Carbuncle are yet able to fully awaken the true potential of the Rainbow Crystals.

_Diamond _– Makes G-Force DF invisible to every known spectrum. However, his shadow remains.

_Ruby_ – Creates a reflective shield around G-Force DF that bounces back anything, especially energy attacks.

_Amber_ – Allows G-Force DF to redirect attacks thrown at him. Note, he cannot reflect them back, only move them to another target.

_Topaz_ – Increases G-Force DF's offensive strength. Note, the strength of the poison in the claws is unchanged.

_Emerald_ – Increases G-Force DF's defensive strength.

_Garnet_ – Heals all wounds G-Force DF received in the last ten minutes.

_Sapphire _– Creates a static charge around G-Force DF and increases his speed by a good margin.

_Amethyst_ – Cures the effects of poisons, medicines, spells, etc. Note: It does not heal physical injuries, merely ailments.

_ATTACKS_

_Po__ison Nail_ – A hit-and-run type of attack where G-Force DF rushes in and slashes at his opponent with either the claws on his hands or imbuing the poison onto the HueHue.

_"Gemstone" Light_– Not necessarily an attack though it does serve a good distraction. Replace "gemstone" with the proper crystal and G-Force DF activates the power of the crystal on his forehead. This move also changes the gemstone located on his helmet. NOTE: Can be used on allies as well as long as they remain near the light of the crystal. The effect time varies depending on strength but has been noted to last up to a half-hour maximum. Only two crystal effects can be used at the same time

_Rainbow Overdrive_ – A rather underhanded attack. G-Force DF causes the jewel on his forehead to change and light up in a bright burst of multicolored light and attacks using a breakdance-like style of combat or through the HueHue. A Full Charge required attack.

--

**ZERO FORM**

Only when Hiro is under the control of Bahamut does this armor appear. Colored pure platinum and shaped like a dragon from Heaven's highest ring, the Zero Form is the most powerful out of all the Imagin controlled forms Guardian Force can assume though he doesn't do so often. The armor is capable of grafting with Bahamut's wings and so allows Guardian Force to fly through the air at speeds unmatched save perhaps for Kamen Rider Rodan. The only true weakness of Zero Form is its high cost in energy, often resulting in Hiro having to sleep for nigh several hours to regain his strength.

**WEAPON **

AMBROSIUS

Neither gun or sword but a strange blend between, the Ambrosius is, at best, a gunblade that is armed with a revolverlike aparatise that allows G-Force ZF to fire orbs of dark energy into the blade and has a load of twenty 'bullets'. The rounds are refilled upon transformation into Zero Form.

_ATTACKS_

_Dragon's Glory_ – A mixed attack of physical blows from the Ambrosius.

_Mega Flare_ – The wheel on G-Force ZF's back spins as energy gathers at the point of the Ambrosius before a concentrated burst of energy beam is fired from it. A Full Charge required attack.

--

**GILGAMESH FORM**

Only when Hiro is under the complete control of Ifrit, Leviathan, Behemoth, and Carbuncle does this armor appear. Appearing as a warrior from the Arabian deserts, Gilgamesh Form is Guardian Force's most powerful form. In this form, G-Force can use any weapon his other forms possess concurrently as well as whatever abilities they possess. Though the armor is strong, it is likely the strangest form Guardian Force can assume as it bestows upon him a second pair of arms with each of the limbs marked by the Imagin that Hiro holds within him.

**WEAPONS**

As Gilgamesh, Guardian Force can access any of the weapons and powers his previous forms possess, minus Zero Form.

_ATTACKS_

_Darkness Fire _– Using the power of Ifrit, Guardian Force GF creates a massive sword made of Black Fire and brings it crashing down.

_Aurora Barrage_ –Using the power of Leviathan, Guardian Force GF bombards his opponents with blasts of aqua-torpedoes just a micro degree short of absolute zero.

_Mountain Crusher_ – Using the power of Behemoth, Guardian Force GF can create a massive earthquake in a localized area.

_Shining Star_ – Using the power of Carbuncle, Guardian Force GF imbues a sort of sentient life in the HueHue and sends it careening like a wild card into the melee while simultaneously bombarding them with his other attacks.

_All For One_ – Using the powers of all four Imagin, Guardian Force GF creates a whirling sphere of elemental energies enhanced further by magics of the Rainbow Crystals and unleashes it upon his foes. A Full-Charged required attack.

* * *

**CHOCOBO**

The Chocobo is Guardian Force's form of transportation outside the Eido-Liner, unique in that it is both alive and not at the same time. Like a legendary pale horse, the Chocobo can shift between organic and inanimate forms, those being a motorcycle and its more natural form of an ostrich-sized bird covered in golden feathers. In motorcycle form, the Chocobo can reach up to a 100 mph while in bird form, it can exheed 88 mph. Though technically genderless, Hiro often refers to the Chocobo as a "she".

* * *

**EIDO-LINER**

The Eido-Liner was one of the last Chrono-Liners to have been created and is, sadly, one of the weakest in terms of time-traveling. To travel to either the future or past, one must have a ticket for the date in question to travel there and the times to board/depart the train must be a triple set number. For example, if one boarded the Eido-Liner at 1:11:11, then they'd likely have to depart at 2:22:22.

**_EIDO-LINER TRAINS_**

Like the Proto-Liner, the Eido-Liner is capable of junctioning with other, minor Chrono-Liners to strengthen it enough to combat against anything too large for Guardian Force to handle.

_LEONHART_

Ifrit's train, which serves as the Imagin's sleeping quarters, with a head shaped similarly to his own with smaller grandhorns. The Leonhart Car is armed with a dozen cannonports, six on each side, capable of launching fireballs hotter than molten rock. The "horns" can also become superheated and slice through a DeathGigas like butter.

_STRIFE_

Leviathan's train, which ironically is the "bathhouse" car, with a head and tail similar to his own, is one of the longest of the train cars. The Strife Car is loaded with a harpoon launcher located in the mouth while the body is armed with six high-pressure water cannons, two on the front and two on either side.

_TIDUS_

Behemoth's train, which contains a fully equipped gym, with a head shaped like his own and armed with slightly larger horns. The Tidus Car is armed with six spiked clubs that can be launched along a length of chain should the need arise. The horns on the brow of the Tidus Car can pierce anything not from sharpness but from sheer strength.

_TRIBAL_

Carbuncle's train, which contains many of Carbuncle's "trinkets", with a head shaped like his own and bedecked with a large jewel that changes to mimic Guardian Force DF's own and enables the same abilities and can extend to the other cars as well. The jewel is also capable of firing a concentrated burst of energy.

* * *

**_KAMEN RIDER AEON_**

The second of the three Chrono-Riders created by the Time Lord Chronos, the armor of Aeon is substantially weaker than Griever but is stronger than Guardian Force in comparison to their base forms. However, like Griever before it, the Aeon Armor has a deadly, if slightly lower, price to pay for its use. Every time the armor is donned, in Magus Form, a person forgets the user of the armor but for every time Aku Form is initialized, the weilder's own memories are sacrificed.

--

**MAGUS FORM**

Only when Gabriel's using her own power does this armor appear. Colored dark emerald with splashes of sapphire, ruby, and topaz, the armor is shaped like the battle robes of a war mage, the armor itself is easily equal to Guardian Force in Fist Form, perhaps even stronger. Contrary to the name and appearance, Magus Form does not allow Aeon to use magic but rather enhance any weapon in her grasp to use any of the primary elements those being Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. Strangely, those who use those particular elements gain higher strength merely by being in Aeon MF's presence.

**WEAPON **

MORGAN

Aeon MF's primary weapon is in fact, two weapons in one. It's normal appearance is that of a seemingly ordinary, if highly decorative, magun. However, it's true attack form is that of a whip made up of whatever elemental force Aeon MF feels like using.

_ATTACKS_

_(Element) Lashing_ – Aeon MF delivers a series of elemental powered strikes from the Morgan in either by bullets or whipstrikes.

_Arcana Barrage _– Focusing all her power, Aeon MF fires four bullets composed of the elements at her target. A Full Charge required attack.

--

**SWORD FORM**

Only when Gabriel's under the control of Shiva does this armor appear. Colored sapphire and shaped like the armor of a female knight dressed in a cloak of ice. Though seemingly armorless, the cloak of Sword Form is of the same toughness as Magus Form but possesses the unique ability to alter its temperature to absolute zero with ease, freezing anything that touches it. Water turns instantly into ice just by being near Aeon SF and fire begins to cool though it still remains as the armor's, or perhaps Shiva's, only known weakness.

**WEAPON **

CALADBOLG

The sword that replaces Aeon SF's right hand, it acts more as an enhancement to Shiva's already deadly ice powers.

_ATTACKS_

_Glacial Slash_ – Aeon SF delivers a series of swordstrikes or a barrage of steel-strength icicles, whatever Shiva is in the mood for.

_Diamond Dust _– Delivered in two varieties. The first is a slashing move from her sword that cuts through her opponent's body and freezes it from the inside out. The last is delivered via a snap of the fingers in which ice immediately surrounds Aeon SF and her opponent(s).

--

**AKU FORM**

Only when Gabriel uses a Black Aeon-card does she don this armor. Colored obsidian with marks of grey, the armor is shaped similarly to Magus Form save for its color scheme and its necrotic-like helmet. Twice as strong as Magus Form, the Aku Form actually halves the strength of the elements simply by being near the user, no matter if they are friend or foe. Also, coming into direct contact with the armor causes untold amounts of pain and, thus far, only Guardian Force and Shiva are immune to the effects.

**WEAPON **

ANIMA

Similar in shape to Aeon MF's primary weapon, the Anima is another type of magun that shoots forth arrow-shaped bursts of energy that, upon impact, inflict massive amounts of agony upon the target. The level of pain itself varies depending on where the arrow hits, oftentimes destroying the target near instantly for how great the pain is.

_ATTACKS_

_Sadis_ – Aeon AF delivers a barrage of bullets from the Anima magun.

_Oblivion _– Likely, Aeon's most powerful attack. Aeon AF falls back into a pool of hellish water and emerges as a chained demon that, upon breaking its chains, unleashes a barrage of power upon the poor soul confronting it. Note: Upon use of this attack, Aeon AF reverts back to normal and cannot transform again for a three hour period. A Full Charge required attack.

* * *

**PROTO-LINER**

The Proto-Liner, as its name implies, is in actuality the first of the Chrono-Liners and is the most unlimited in terms of time-traveling to the past or future. Still, as it is a prototype train, the Proto-Liner is not without its weaknesses. It can travel to the past or future uninhibited yes, but it can only do so for a few centuries back and barely a century forward as the tracks it can connect to only extend so far. The train itself is small both in size and physical firepower and is limited to two distinct cars to house combat equipment.

**_PROTO-LINER TRAINS_**

_YUNA_

The engine of the Proto-Liner train, the Yuna is shaped rather like a rabbit with the 'ears' being two long metallic strands capable of generating vast amounts of electricity. The front end of the Yuna is loaded with five automachine guns capable of firing one hundred rounds per-second.

_RINOA_

The Rinoa "caboose" is shaped similarly to a dog gifted with wings and is capable of separating from the Yuna Car and flying like a jet on the wings of angels. Like the Yuna, the Rinoa is loaded with autmachine guns, two in total, as well as a pair of Blaster Edges, two bladed discs that act like remote-controlled boomerangs.

* * *

**_KAMEN RIDER GRIEVER_**

The first and only Rider Armor designed purposefully for Chronos' Line. Colored pure black and bedecked with a pair of leathery wings and lionlike features, the Griever Armor is, by far, the strongest base form of the Chrono-Riders. Unlike Aeon and Guardian Force, Griever does not require an Imagin to use its full power and, unlike the other two, the armor is able to destroy a weak Imagin in a single hit without a Full-Charge attack. Its only true drawback is the cost of donning the armor for, like Aeon, it was not designed for constant use but only under extreme circumstances. To use the Griever Armor, one must give up their time meaning that, in essence, they become immortal in the sense that, for them, time does not move forward and as they lose whatever memory they had of themselves, they are lost forever in the sands of time unless the Chrono-Liner, Eden-Liner, is under their complete control.

**WEAPON **

GRIMM SABERS

A pair of fanglike swords attached to his forearms, the Grimm Sabers are easily able to cut into any Imagin, solid or not, and can destroy the weaker ones easily in a single non-Full Charge attack.

_ATTACKS_

_Heartless_ – A jabbing strike from the Grimm Sabers that leave the opponent without a heart either physically or metaphysically.

_Nobody's Scream_ – A sonic roar that can supposedly, in conjuction with the Eden-Liner, supposedly can destroy a timeline from existence. A Full-Charge required attack.

* * *

**EDEN-LINER TRAIN**

The Eden-Liner is likely the most powerful of all the Chrono-Liners as its form and powers do not rely on those of Imagin and thus uses the "purest" form of chronological energies via the Four Swords of History. The identities of these Four Swords alongside the full power of Eden-Liner has never been fully seen as not one of the few holders of the Griever armor were able to unlock them from the train's sheaths. Regardless of the sealing, the Eden-Liner can easily wipe out a single person's time on its own power, effectively "killing" that person from existence as though they never were. Besides this, the Eden-Liner can travel anywhere in time wholly and completely and is supposedly able to travel to alternate dimensions and even the Garden of Paradise. With the Four Swords, the Eden-Liner could truly earns its title of being God's Train.

* * *

**_KONG_**

Kong's armor is one of the most unique amongst the Patriots in that Kong's armor, especially around the arms, back, and calves, are covered in thick fur reminiscent of a gorilla's. The armor is one of the weakest in terms of defensive strength but the offensive power outweigh the drawbacks. One of its unique features is the ability to understand and communicate with all forms of simian life, particularly gorillas. The hairs on the armor are made of special materials that make it twice as tough as Kevlar but still able to be set aflame. The silver hair along the back is a display of Kong's position as leader of his squadron.

**CAST-ON**

King Kong's arms and head.

**M-BASE**

Strength four times that of a normal human alongside apelike dexterity. Electrokinesis provided an adequate charge is provided first.

**WEAPON**

NONE

Kong possess no weapon nor does he have a need of one as his physical strength and prowess is all that he requires to finish off his foes.

_ATTACKS_

_Congo__ Beat_ – Either a series of fast thrown punches or a powerful haymaker strike.

_Eighth Wonder _– A series of acrobatic punches and kicks that is capable of destroying an Imagin's solid form easily. A COS required attack.

_Thunda Breaker _– With his fists heavily electrified, Kong gives a serious beatdown upon his opponents. All that is necessary to execute this attack is an appropriate amount of electricity with the strength varying on voltage.

* * *

**_GALGAMETH_**

Galgameth's armor is by far the strangest of them all in that its capabilities as well as its statistics change entirely upon the Rider. It can change to being as malleable as gold to as hard as adamantium. Its only true weakness is salt water, which corrodes the armor, no matter the construct it resembles, and causes it to go haywire. Despite this, Galgameth is a hardy soldier that can withstand anything thrown at him, just like the kaiju within him. Strangely, the armor is prone to, admittedly slight, mutations. For example, if heated to the right temperature, the armor changes to resemble molten steel and Galgameth's weapon, the Drakon GunMode, can shoot plumes of fire instead of bullets.

**CAST-ON**

Galgameth's tail and headspike.

**M-BASE**

Consumption of metal. Upon consumption, skin mimics the toughness of the metal until it has been "digested". However, no matter the metal, skin is susceptible to burns from salt-water.

**WEAPON **

DRAKON

A device shaped like the head of Galgameth, it can be used as either a machine gun or a broad sword, the blade itself is shaped like flames.

_ATTACKS_

_Eisen Drache_ – Galgameth fires a barrage of bullets from his Drakon Gunmode.

_Arcana_ – A series of swordstrikes. On par with Kingdom Hearts' _Ars Arcanum_.

_Drache Schutz_– Galgameth fires a concentrated burst of bullets or delivers a might slash from his sword. COS required attack.

* * *

**_FANTASTICA_**

The armor of Fantastica is both very powerful and very weak at the same time. Its power and strength rely entirely on the amount of solar radiation it absorbs from the sun thus it weakens whenever there is a lack of sunlight. The armor itself is capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures to such a degree that it can be possible for the Rider to actually swim in molten lava and feel no ill effects. In fact, the armor actually benefits from being in extremely high temperatures and like Kamen Rider Gojira, Fantastica can absorb the solar radiation left over from his attacks. The armor's only true side-effect, aside from lack of sunlight, is sub-zero temperatures.

**CAST-ON**

G-Fantis' dorsal spikes and tail.

**M-BASE**

Light manipulation; can fire concentrated bursts of light and create flash bombs. Impervious to extreme high temperatures.

**WEAPON **

SOLARIS

A sasumata roughly over Solaris' height in length, the Solaris is capable of reaching superheated temperatures (Max: 450 degrees Fahrenheit) and can fire beams of solar radiation.

_ATTACKS_

_Saurian Strike _– Fantastica unleahes a barrage of burning strikes from the Solaris.

_Brilliant Flare _– Fantastica unleashes a thick beam of solar radiation from the Solaris' blade. COS required attack.

* * *

**_ZILLA_**

The armor of Zilla is not the weakest of the Kamen Riders but it is certainly not the strongest. Barely able to withstand a direct hit from Gojira's '_Atomic Fire'_ attack, the armor severely lacks a decent defense against energy/armor piercing attacks but makes up for it by enhancing the Rider's already incredible speed. The armor emulates Gojira's own when it comes to aquatic exploration and can almost match Manda's own. It should also be noted that, despite the normal claws adorning the gloves, the Rider can tunnel through the earth almost as fast as Kamen Rider Baragon.

**CAST-ON**

Zilla's tail and dorsal spikes.

**M-BASE**

Superspeed. Has been clocked at running over two hundred miles on open land as a 'light jog'. Requires large amounts of calories afterwards to refuel. Light healing factor.

**WEAPON**

HEAT BLASTER

The HEAT Blaster is shaped like the head of Zilla and can launch forth a stream of nuclear flame stretching up to twenty feet across. With the Cast-On System activated, the distance grows twice over.

_ATTACKS_

_Atomic Flare_ – Zilla fires a stream of radioactive flames from her HEAT Blaster.

_Righteous Fury _– Zilla fires a tornado-shaped blast of radioactive fire from her Blaster. COS required attack.

* * *

COMING SOON...

* * *

**The Reign of Chaos has officially begun…**

Infinite Chaos standing triumphant over the earth held tightly in her claws

**The forces of the light have fallen…**

A crushed scepter of moonlight beside a broken helmet…

**With the absence of the good, evil prevails.**

Gleaming eyes in the black shadows of a moonless night.

**In a world where humans are no longer the dominant lifeforms…**

"This is Delta-Charlie requesting immediate back-up!"

**Where man and machine have become one… **

"Mavericks inbound! Repeat, Mavericks inbound! Get the Hunters down here!"

**Where monsters of the dark stalk in the shadows…**

"Let's begin the killing time."

**Where creatures of the light struggle to hold their place…**

"Get out of there, Arcadia!"

_"I can heal him, just give me time!"_

"ARCADIA!"

**Chaos' Neo Urth is a hard world where only the strong can survive.**

A city crumbling to rubble as an army of madness runs rampant across the streets.

**There are things that go bump in the night…**

The sound of chains rattling along the ground.

**He's the one that bumps back.**

"Unlock the chains of destiny!"

**Kamen Rider Tsukiyo**

Winter 2009


End file.
